NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether abortion policy would be devolved in the event of the devolution of policing and criminal justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: In Northern Ireland, legislation on abortion remains part of the criminal law, which will be transferred when responsibility for policing and justice is devolved.

Eames/Bradley Consultative Group

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been made of any potential overlap of work between the Eames/Bradley Consultative Group and the Victims Commissioners.

Shaun Woodward: The Consultative Group on the Past terms of reference explicitly require the group to consider "the landscape of initiatives that have already been taken by Government and non-governmental groups" and the "work already done—and ongoing—in this area".
	It is for the group to interpret its terms of reference, but I would expect that in looking at the legacy of the past in its broadest sense the group will be considering issues relating to victims and survivors along with many other areas; I would also expect that the group will take into account the work being done by the Commission for Victims and Survivors. I look forward to receiving the group's report in the coming months.
	When considering the group's report and recommendations, the Government will take into account any impact on, and overlap with, ongoing programmes of work, such as that of the Commission for Victims and Survivors.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has no contract with EDF.
	EDF supplies power to a number of residential properties in London leased by the Northern Ireland Office for staff on detached duty. These contracts would have been set up directly between the staff residing in the accommodation and EDF. Ascertaining payments for the properties over the 10 years would be at disproportionate cost.

Parades

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions have taken place with the Irish Government on the Strategic Review of Parades.

Paul Goggins: The Strategic Review of Parading Body met the Irish Government in December 2007 and in March and April 2008. Officials provided the Irish Government with updates on the progress of the Strategic Review of Parading in March and August 2008.

Police Patrolling

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average time spent by a police officer on street patrol was in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the  Official Report and the Library of the House.

Police: Complaints

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints were made against the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: Dealing with such complaints is the operational responsibility of the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. I have asked the chief executive to reply to the hon. Member directly, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the  Official Report and the Library of the House.

Police: Finance

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what revisions have been made to arrangements for the Police Service of Northern Ireland's budget; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: In the comprehensive spending review 2007 settlement, the PSNI were allocated a fixed allocation of some £3.5 billion over a three-year period (2008 to 2011).
	Budget decisions within the funding allocation are a matter for the PSNI and the Policing Board, based on aligning operational priorities with resources.

Police: Finance

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received calling for revisions to the Police Service of Northern Ireland budget arrangements.

Paul Goggins: In the comprehensive spending review 2007 settlement, the PSNI were allocated a fixed allocation of some £3.5 billion over a three-year period (2008-11).
	The PSNI through the Northern Ireland Policing Board has the opportunity to notify the NIO of any proposed revisions to the budget allocation at in-year monitoring rounds. Any funding requests will be considered by the NIO taking into consideration financial commitments throughout the Department.

Prisoners

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners in Northern Ireland remain in custody having completed their sentence; and what the reason for such post-sentence detention is in each case.

Paul Goggins: At 8 October, 90 male prisoners and one female prisoner who had completed a custodial sentence remained in custody due to outstanding remand charges. In addition, three immigration detainees who had completed custodial sentences were being held under immigration detention orders.

Prisoners: Crimes of Violence

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many violent offences were committed by prisoners against other prisoners in Northern Ireland whilst in custody in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Assault of prisoner on prisoner 
			 2004-05 11 
			 2005-06 5 
			 2006-07 7 
			 2007-08 14 
			 2008-end September 2008 5 
			 Total 42 
		
	
	These figures are compiled using the Northern Ireland Prison Service key performance indicators definition of assault.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

British Library

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what income his Department received from the British Library in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: In each of the last 10 years my Department has received the following rental income from the British Library.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Retained by DCMS  Surrendered to the Consolidated Fund 
			 1998-99 0 590,000 
			 1999-2000 0 645,000 
			 2000-01 0 42,000 
			 2001-02 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 0 0 
			 2007-08 0 0

Departmental Furniture

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) chairs,  (b) desks and  (c) other office furnishings have been purchased by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department holds the following information relating to the purchase of chairs, desk and other office furnishings in the last five years. The Department does not hold information for 2003-04.
	
		
			  £ 
			2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Chairs Number — 20 60 346 156 
			  Cost — 9,035 27,105 92,742 34,260 
			 Desks Number — — — 521 34 
			  Cost — — — 367,026 30,373 
			 Tables Number — — — 97 42 
			  Cost — — — 22,488 16,021 
			 Filing Cabinets Number — — — 263 6 
			  Cost — — — 84,232 2,256 
			 Other office furnishings Number — — — 18 3 
			  Cost — —  3,786 795 
		
	
	The Royal Parks (TRP) accounting system does not record the numbers of chairs, desks etc that have been purchased, so obtaining that information would involve retrieving and analysing paper copies of orders and invoices over five years, at disproportionate cost.
	The following table sets out how much TRP has spent on these items over the past five financial years:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Chairs 7,071 1,094 2,321 2,849 15,996 
			 Tables 2,261 873 1,730 376 2,537 
			 Other office furnishings 19,184 6,520 2,577 3,736 21,898

Departmental Land

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what valuations were made of the land to the north of the British Library in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The land to the north of the British Library was professionally valued on 31 March 2005 at £18.98 million and on 31 March 2006 at £26.6 million. At 31 March 2008 the land was being held for resale at a revaluation of £85 million. The sale was completed on 13 June 2008.

Departmental NDPBs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 51-52WS, on DCMS engagement, what changes are planned to the regional structures of  (a) the Arts Council,  (b) Sports England,  (c) English Heritage and  (d) Museum, Libraries and Archives Councils.

Barbara Follett: The right hon. Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge), explained in a written ministerial statement of 2 July 2008 that the precise nature of the new arrangements in each region will be negotiated regionally by the directors of the four key public bodies. She asked the four chief executives to present as soon as possible their proposals for how the new arrangements for culture will work in the regions following the wind up of the regional cultural consortiums on 31 March 2009.
	My Department is committed to continuous improvement in delivery of public services to citizens and to providing value for money to taxpayers. To this end our NDPBs review their structures from time to time and as a result of such reviews, the following changes are proposed or being taken forward:
	Sport England is proposing to replace Regional Sports Boards with a ministerial nominee in each of their 9 regions. The Nominee will act as an advocate for community sport. A decision on the London Regional Sports Board will be made following discussions with the Mayor.
	The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is reconfiguring as a single national agency with its head office functions in Birmingham. The unified MLA will then have the capacity to deploy up to 30 staff nationwide in flexible regional action teams.
	Arts Council of England, as part of the review of support services, will move 60 staff from the London National Office to the North West Regional Office.

Gambling Act 2005

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when his Department completed the exercise measuring the cost of the Gambling Act 2005 as set out in the departmental Corporate Plan; what the estimated costs of the Act have been; and when he expects to publish the report in full.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department completed in June 2008 an administrative burdens measurement exercise of the Gambling Act 2005. This was carried out by using the better regulation executive's standard cost model method of assessment and by identifying each individual information obligation arising from the 2005 Act. The validity of the findings were tested by an expert panel, which included industry stakeholders, who challenged the assumptions, methodologies, outcomes of the assessment made by the Department and the Gambling Commission.
	The work by the expert panel resulted in an agreed annual administrative burden of the 2005 Act of £17.4 million compared with an annual measurement of £74 million under the previous regulatory regime. Further details of the measurement exercise will be set out in the DCMS simplification plan 2008 to be published in December.

Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff he expects to work in the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting's private office; and where the office will be located.

Andy Burnham: The Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting will be supported by three members of staff in his private office, which will be co-located between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the working week he expects the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting to spend on his Department's business.

Andy Burnham: I expect the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (joint Minister with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) to spend approximately 50 per cent. of his working week on departmental business.

Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting has been assigned an office in his Department.

Andy Burnham: The Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting has been assigned an office at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department will provide to the Olympic Delivery Authority in each of the next three years.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
	Chapter 20 of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) White Paper, published on 9 October 2007, announced total grant in aid from Government of £1,559/£1,104/£1,050 million in 2008-09 to 2010-11. Provision for 2011-12 to 2013-14 will be confirmed in the next CSR.
	The balance of the funding requirement will be met, as announced in March 2007, by contributions from the Mayor of London (GLA and LDA); and from the lottery.

Olympic Games 2012: Standards

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date he expects to publish the first full report on Olympic and Paralympic public service agreements and physical education and school sport.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
	Progress made against the PSA 22 indicators will be published in the autumn performance report published by DCMS. The report will be published no later than 15 December.

World Heritage Sites

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish guidelines for applicants for World Heritage status.

Barbara Follett: The Government will publish a consultation document on its UK World Heritage Review shortly. Should we decide, following the outcome of the Review, to revise the current UK Tentative List, appropriate guidelines on applications for inclusion on the List will be made available.

OLYMPICS

Humanitarian Assistance Unit: Marketing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much the humanitarian assistance unit spent on publicity in each year since its establishment.

Tessa Jowell: The Humanitarian Assistance Unit has not spent anything on publicity since it was set up in 2005.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Information Officers

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many press and communications officers are employed by the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Tessa Jowell: As of 30 September 2008 the ODA communications team employed 25 members of staff—five of which are specifically dedicated to dealing with the press.
	The ODA communications team are responsible for a variety of communication and stakeholder engagement activities. These include dealing with local and national media, as well as public inquiries and community engagement, site visits, extensive stakeholder engagement, internal communications and ODA's external publications.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics on what date she expects the construction of the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics to begin.

Tessa Jowell: Construction of the foundations for the Aquatics Centre began in July 2008, two months ahead of schedule.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the Government's contingency budget for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games is; and how much of that has been  (a) spent and  (b) allocated.

Tessa Jowell: The £9.325 billion funding package for the games announced in March 2007 included a provision for contingency of £2.747 billion. As announced, £500 million of this was transferred to the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) baseline funding, and £238 million was set aside as a contingency for wider policing and security. This left a balance of £2,009 million: £968 million of which is programme-wide contingency for ODA programme-wide risks, and £1,041 million of which is Funders' Group contingency for risks beyond the project and programme level.
	To date £21.5 million of ODA programme-wide contingency has been allocated to cover the net contingency requirements of a number of programmes. In addition £95 million of Funder's Group contingency has been allocated to the ODA as interim funding to enable work on the construction of the Olympic village to continue uninterrupted despite the current turmoil in the financial markets.
	There is no direct spending from contingency, because once allocated it is incorporated into the ODA's programme expenditure. It is therefore only possible to provide information on the contingency allocated to the ODA and on ODA actual spend. Information on allocated contingency and actual spend are provided in the six- monthly progress updates. The next progress update will be published in the new year.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Solicitor-General how many letters her Department received from hon. Members and Peers in each session of Parliament since 1997.

Vera Baird: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. These reports are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff work in her Office's parliamentary branch; and what proportion of their time is spent on dealing with  (a) parliamentary questions and  (b) correspondence from hon. Members and Peers.

Vera Baird: There is one person that deals with all my parliamentary business and there are three people in the correspondence team that deal with all correspondence from Members and Peers.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day she has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Vera Baird: 11 (73 per cent.) of the written for named day questions have been answered on the due date in the current session.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what proportion of staff in the Attorney-General's Office are disabled; and what the average salary in the Office is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 652W.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Solicitor-General what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by the Attorney-General's Office has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced powers of entry since May 1997.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change and Energy Strategy Board

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what work the Climate Change and Energy Strategy Board has undertaken; what further work is planned; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The senior board which oversees the climate change and energy programme across Government is the Delivery and Strategy High Level Board (DASH Board). The board is made up of senior officials from all the contributing Departments (DECC, BERR, DEFRA, Cabinet Office, CLG, DfID, DfT, FCO and HMT) and is co-chaired by the heads of DECC's Climate Change Group (formerly in DEFRA) and the Energy Group (formerly in BERR). The board puts advice to the ED(EE) Cabinet Committee, and is also the Delivery Board for the Climate Change Public Service Agreement (PSA 27).
	The board meets at least every six weeks, and takes regular reports from the programme boards which cover the three aspects of the overall programme: international energy and climate change; national energy and climate change mitigation; national climate change adaptation. The board considers reports on progress from the programme boards, decides on any action to put progress on track and seeks to identify the key strategic issues and risks to the programme that need to be addressed.

Warm Front Scheme

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many complaints he has received from  (a) local authorities and  (b) others in relation to the management of the Warm Front 2 scheme; and what the subject of each complaint was.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Complaints received by the Secretary of State are not classified and recorded in the way requested. However, Eaga plc, who manage the scheme on DECC's behalf, do record and classify all complaints received about Warm Front, for which the Secretary of State is ultimately responsible.
	Between 1 June 2005 (start of Warm Front 2) and 31 August 2008, there was a total of 3,508 upheld complaints in relation to the Warm Front Scheme, made by a variety of bodies. Over the same period, there were 834,269 successful applications to the scheme, giving a percentage of upheld complaints against successful applications of 0.42 per cent.
	Warm Front does not specifically record the numbers of complaints received from local authorities. However, the following table shows the breakdown of upheld complaints received by source since the start of Warm Front 2(1). Local authority complaints are recorded in the stakeholder category.
	(1) The total figure in the table comes to 3,506 rather than 3,508, as two complaints received that related to the HEES Scheme in Wales have been removed.
	
		
			  Source  Number of upheld complaints 
			 Complaint from customer 2,780 
			 MP complaint 363 
			 Stakeholder 121 
			 Trading Standards 92 
			 Complaint via DEFRA 79 
			 Media 63 
			 Installer Direct Complaint 6 
			 Heating Rebate Scheme 2 
		
	
	In February 2008 the aspects against which complaints were logged changed, so the data provided in this respect relate to all complaints upheld since 5 February 2008.
	
		
			  Aspect  Number of complaints upheld 
			 Boiler/system problem 160 
			 Home or property damaged 144 
			 Heating 66 
			 Remedial works required 84 
			 Measures: Not all installed or as agreed 53 
			 Mess/debris left in property 46 
			 No heat and/or no hot water 36 
			 Response time and missed appointments 33 
			 Leaks 32 
			 Personnel manner and explanations 31 
			 Miscellaneous 30 
			 Allocation of measure 14 
			 Needs not considered 14 
			 Exceeded Grant maxima 10 
			 Location not suitable 9 
			 Complaint follow up 9 
			 Technical problems with installation 8 
			 Inspection 6 
			 Field Services Energy Assessment 5 
			 Private works 5 
			 Breakdown attendance 4 
			 Cannot have preferred system type 4 
			 Powerflush not completed 4

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Business

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government have taken to encourage business growth.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 21 July 2008
	Encouraging business growth is a key aim of the Department, and "Enterprise: Unlocking the UK's Talent" (available at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file44992.pdf), published in March 2008, announced a number of new measures designed to support business growth. For example the Government are:
	encouraging women's enterprise, an area where the UK is lagging behind major competitors, through initiatives such as women's business centre pilots;
	improving access to finance to support business growth such as extending eligibility to the Small Firms Loan Guarantee;
	encouraging innovation, a key driver of growth, through initiatives such as the launch of innovation vouchers.
	The Manufacturing Strategy, published on 8 September 2008, builds on the Enterprise Strategy with additional measures to promote growth in this sector.
	Although the global outlook is uncertain, through maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment, the Government have created an environment conducive to businesses growth, and contributed to a thriving business sector:
	The UK has a record number of businesses—4.7 million at the start of 2007—around 970,000 (26 per cent.) more than in 1997;
	Private sector employment has risen by 1.7 million (8 per cent.) since 1997;
	Business survival rates are higher than a decade ago—92 per cent. of VAT registered firms still registered after one year; 71 per cent. after three years.
	The UK is the only G7 economy to have avoided any quarters of contraction in output since 2001, in spite of slow growth in key export markets in the recent past; and over the past 10 years the UK has enjoyed more stability in terms of GDP growth and inflation than in any decade since the war.

Departmental Responsibilities

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting has been assigned an office in his Department.

Patrick McFadden: Yes.

Gyms

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many gymnasiums operated for the use of staff members his Department funds.

Gareth Thomas: BERR's gymnasium is funded by Minerva, the in-house sports and social association, from membership subscriptions not and from the departmental budget.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members' Staff: Pay

Lynne Jones: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  if she will examine the financial implications of extending the House of Commons staff redundancy arrangements to staff of hon. Members;
	(2)  if she will examine the financial and administrative implications of automatically increasing the pay of staff of hon. Members annually by the rise in staffing allowance.

Chris Bryant: Under the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978, House staff are employed by the House of Commons Commission. The Act requires the Commission to keep staff conditions of service broadly in the line with those in the Home Civil Service. This requirement applies to redundancy arrangements. The Members Estimate Committee report, Review of Allowances (HC578), considered the central employment of Members' staff by the House but rejected this in favour of Members themselves remaining the employer.
	Members' staff are employed by Members, under standard contracts prepared by the Department of Resources. The contract requires the Member to review annually his or her employee's salary. Members can then decide whether an increase is appropriate, which could depend on factors such as staff performance and budget constraints. Automatic pay rises would restrict Members' ability to match the needs of their office to the resources available.

Parliamentary Resources Unit

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how much has been paid to the Parliamentary Resources Unit through the Department of Resources and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: The amount paid to the PRU for each year since 2003-04 is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 183,879 
			 2004-05 397,867 
			 2005-06 637,421 
			 2006-07 536,142 
			 2007-08 598,067 
		
	
	Information is not readily available for prior years.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on salaries for press and communications officers in  (a) his Department,  (b) its NDPBs and  (c) its agencies in each of the last three years.

Ann McKechin: The figures are as follows and include ERNIC etc; the Office had a reduced number of press officers for part of 2006-07 and assistance was provided by staff of the Government News Network.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 93,114 
			 2006-07 70,283 
			 2007-08 113,236

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 651W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will reply to Question 220175, on staff, tabled on 15th July.

Ann McKechin: This parliamentary question was answered today.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Secondary Schools: Closure

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the process is for consultation over closure of secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Consultation is the first part of the five stage statutory process for proposed changes to school provision, including closures. The later stages are publication of proposals; a period for representations; decision and implementation, if approved.
	Proposals are decided under local decision making arrangements. Ministers have no direct role in the process. However, proposers are required to consult with interested parties and take into account their views when reaching a decision on whether to progress with proposals.

Educational Standards: Secondary Schools

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to raise educational standards in secondary schools.

Edward Balls: Secondary schools standards have risen substantially over the past decade with the number of schools not reaching our basic benchmark of 30 per cent. Five A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths down from over 1,600 in 1997 to a provisional 475 in 2008.
	Our National Challenge programme will ensure that by 2011 every school will have at least 30 per cent. of its pupils over the basic benchmark and today I have written to all National Challenge heads updating them on our progress with our plans.

Academy Programme

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the prospects for the academies programme over the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The prospects for the academies programme are secure. In addition to the 130 academies now open, four are projected to open in January 2009, 80 in September 2009 and a further 100 in 2010. The Government are committed to establishing at least 400 academies nationwide.

Trust Schools

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in the development of trust schools; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: 106 schools have already become trust schools, the large majority of them in collaborative trusts with other schools. And last month I announced that a further 65 schools have successfully applied to enter the trust schools programme. This brings the total number of schools seeking to apply trust status to 378, including three national challenge trusts. I expect a further round of application from schools at the end of November 2008.

Sure Start

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent progress the Sure Start programme has made; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: We exceeded the 2008 target, with over 2,900 children's centres offering services to almost 2.3 million children under five and their families. By 2010 there will be a centre for every community. The most recent wave of the National Evaluation of Sure Start found that Sure Start Local Programmes have had a positive impact on a number of outcomes. The report showed a marked improvement on the findings of the earlier study published in 2005.

New Schools: Costs

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average cost of establishing a new school is.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: For the strategic centrally managed BSF programme the average capital cost of a new secondary school was £26 million. This average does however mask big variations across projects owing to the size and type of school, local cost pressures, site constraints and other abnormal factors.
	The Department does not hold capital cost information on new primary and secondary schools delivered by local authorities through their devolved capital programmes, nor on authorities' revenue expenditure on establishing new schools.

Adoption

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made on the Government's plans to encourage adoption; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Since the Prime Minister's review of adoption in 2000, the Government have introduced new legislation—the Adoption and Children Act 2002—which represents a complete overhaul of the adoption system in England and Wales; new statutory guidance; new practice guidance and a range of other linked initiatives to modernise and reform adoption practice. In addition, we have commissioned the Adoption Research Initiative specifically to examine the impact of the Act.

Adoption

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to encourage adoption; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Through the implementation of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 we have already overhauled the adoption system in England and Wales. We will next year issue strengthened care planning guidance to ensure that each child has a thorough assessment of their needs and circumstances leading to the right permanence plan. We will also disseminate good practice and the findings from the Adoption Research Initiative to ensure that adoption continues to be seen as an important option for those children who need it.

Special Needs Pupils

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps have been taken to integrate special needs pupils into mainstream education; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The present statutory framework provides for children with statements of special educational needs to be taught in mainstream schools where this is what their parents want and is compatible with the efficient education of other children. It also provides for parents to seek a special school place and to have this preference considered. We published guidance last year which encourages local authorities to have a range of provision for children with SEN and disabilities.

Education Maintenance Allowances

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average time to process an education maintenance allowance application is; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have informed me that due to problems with their automatic system, their contractor have had to resort to manual processing of EMA applications. As a consequence it is taking longer than in previous years to process EMA applications. It is not yet possible to give an average time to process applications under these revised arrangements.
	I know that some students are still waiting for their allowances, and we have asked colleges to use their discretionary support funds for learners who may need financial help in the meantime. No learners should lose out as a consequence of the current delays.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made of the review of child and adolescent mental health services; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The independent review of CAMHs is progressing extremely well. A comprehensive programme of research, visits and consultation events has been completed, and an interim report published in July 2008. The Secretary of State for Health and I recently met the review's expert group to discuss the emerging findings with them. As the independent chair, Jo Davidson, is planning to publish the final report in November, it would be pre-emptive to make a statement at this point.

Sex and Relationship Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the review of the provision of sex and relationship education in schools to report.

Jim Knight: The sex and relationships education (SRE) review steering group has had its final meeting and is in the process of finalising its report, which it intends to publish shortly.

School Meals

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to increase the percentage of school children who have a cooked school lunch; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children Schools and Families and the School Food Trust have a wide programme to increase take-up of cooked school lunches, including:
	£240 million subsidy to help keep down prices;
	£150 million capital for new kitchens and dining rooms;
	support for local authorities where take-up is stuck or declining;
	training for catering staff;
	School Food Trust promoting what works in increasing take-up; and
	encouraging take-up of free school meals, including piloting universal free meals for primary pupils.

Secondary School Funding (Rural Areas)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much and what proportion of secondary school funding was allocated to rural areas in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Secondary school funding is not identified nationally as separate from primary school funding. DCSF distributes revenue funding for schools to local authorities (LAs) through the Dedicated Schools Grant.
	Each LA decides the distribution of core funding to individual schools, according to their local funding formula, which will have been agreed with the schools forum and designed to reflect local need. It is for local discretion how much of that authorities spend on the increased costs associated with rural schools and some authorities have specific protection for small rural schools within their local formulae.

Sandhill View School: Sunderland, South

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will visit Sandhill View School in Sunderland, South constituency to discuss its standards.

Edward Balls: I understand that Sandhill View school has made excellent progress in the proportion of students gaining five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics, and I congratulate the school's staff and students on their success in the past year and wish them well for this academic year. I hope that my diary will permit me to visit the school when I am next in the area.

Building Schools for the Future

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: Our assessment has two main strands. First, PricewaterhouseCoopers is evaluating the impact of Building Schools for the Future investment on pupil achievement. We aim to publish the second annual report of that evaluation later this year. Secondly, schools capital including Building Schools for the Future is one of three strands of a Public Value Programme review that we are conducting with HM Treasury. We expect to finish that review this winter.

Bullying

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to tackle bullying of children with special needs in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We published guidance in May 2008 which reminds schools of their legal obligations in respect of children with special educational needs and disabilities. The guidance provides comprehensive advice on how to prevent the bullying of these children, and how to respond to bullying incidents. We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and National Strategies to ensure the guidance is effectively implemented on the ground, and to provide challenge and support. We are monitoring the situation closely.

Academy School: Wirral, South

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether there are plans to introduce an academy school in Wirral, South constituency.

Jim Knight: My Department is not aware of any plans to introduce an academy school in the Wirral, South constituency.

Free School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of providing free school meals to all pupils in maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in England.

Jim Knight: The Department has not made an estimate. However, a report commissioned by the School Food Trust estimated that providing free school meals for all pupils would cost at least an additional £853 million in maintained primary and £673 million in maintained secondary schools.
	The Department together with the Department of Health recently announced a £20 million free school meals pilot. Local authorities in deprived areas will be invited to bid to take part in the pilots.

Public Libraries: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much additional spending has been allocated for public libraries in the Newcastle upon Tyne area for the next 12 months.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	Funding for public libraries is allocated to local authorities by the Department for Communities and Local Government, as part of the local government settlement. Local authorities then distribute funding among local library authorities. In addition, funding for various libraries related programmes such as "Boys into Books" and "Book Ahead" are made available from other funding streams in Government to fulfil certain strategic aims.
	We have defined the "Newcastle upon Tyne area" as the locality containing Newcastle upon Tyne city council, Gateshead metropolitan borough council and Sunderland city council. We have interpreted the wording of the question as a request for projected spend for these local authorities for the next 12-month period, and also as a request for comparative historic data.
	As funding arrangements relate to specific financial years it is not a simple matter to provide 12-month projected spend from a set starting point within year.
	The figures set out in the table have been provided by the local authorities in question as projected spend for the financial year 2008-09, alongside comparative figures for the financial year 2007-08.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Local authority  Projected library spend, 2008-09  Library spend 2007-08 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 7.305 7.216 
			 Gateshead 6.737 5.268 
			 Sunderland 4.986 6.506 
			 Total 19.028 18.99

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Annual Leave

Lynne Jones: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 788W, on annual leave, when the leave arrangements for the Senior Commons Service were put in place; and if the Commission will review all leave arrangements for House staff and Members' staff.

Nick Harvey: The leave arrangements for the Senior Commons Structure have been in place for at least 10 years. There are no current plans to review leave arrangements. I understand that minimum leave arrangements for Members' staff are set out in the standard contract, but individual Members have discretion to grant more leave if they wish.

Catering

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 9W, on Department of Facilities: fats, what the nine products purchased by the House of Commons catering service are that contain hydrogenated fats or oils.

Nick Harvey: The nine products purchased by the House of Commons catering service so far identified as containing hydrogenated fats or oils are:
	Cadbury's Highlights hot chocolate drink;
	Cadbury's Instant Break hot chocolate drink;
	Jacob's Club Biscuits (orange flavour only);
	M and Ms (Mars confectionery);
	Snickers Bars (Mars confectionery);
	Brakes Vegetable Suet;
	Maggi Beef Bouillon;
	Maggi Chicken Bouillon;
	Trenwax (spray fat used to grease baking moulds).
	Four of the nine products already identified as containing hydrogenated fats or oils were specifically selected because they are gluten-free and, hence, are suitable for coeliacs.

Departmental Manpower

Ben Chapman: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  how many staff were employed by the House at the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the total salary costs of House staff were in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the pay grades for all House staff were in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The House employed 1,696 full-time equivalent permanent staff during 2007-08. Total salary costs incurred during the last five years were:
	
		
			   Salary cos t (£000) 
			 2003-04 39,174 
			 2004-05 41,983 
			 2005-06 44,302 
			 2006-07 46,705 
			 2007-08 50,450 
		
	
	The pay bands for all House staff during the last five years were:
	
		
			  (a) Senior Commons staff 
			  £ 
			1 April each year 
			  Pay band  Pay range  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 SCS3 Maximum 126,816 129,352 133,233 137,763 137,763 
			  Minimum 89,085 90,867 93,139 98,000 99,960 
			 SCS2 Maximum 116,964 119,303 122,882 123,000 123,000 
			  Minimum 72,316 73,762 75,606 80,000 81,600 
			 SCS1A Maximum 98,099 100,061 103,063 104,000 104,000 
			  Minimum 60,788 62,004 63,554 64,000 65,280 
			 SCSI Maximum 87,408 89,156 91,831 92,000 92,000 
			  Minimum 52,403 53,451 54,787 55,000 56,100 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Administration 
			  £ 
			1 April each year 
			  Pay band  Pay range  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Al Maximum 57,286 64,989 66,614 67,340 68,954 
			  Minimum 46,505 47,667 48,859 49,392 51,180 
			 A2 Maximum 52,293 53,600 54,940 55,539 56,991 
			  Minimum 38,343 39,302 40,284 40,723 42,236 
			 A3 Maximum 29,977 30,726 31,494 31,837 33,284 
			  Minimum 22,225 22,781 23,351 23,606 25,000 
			 B1 Maximum 36,198 37,103 38,030 38,445 39,394 
			  Minimum 28,548 29,261 29,993 30,320 31,350 
			 B2 Maximum 30,497 31,259 32,041 32,390 33,183 
			  Minimum 23,466 24,053 24,654 24,923 25,756 
			 C Maximum 25,039 25,665 26,307 26,594 27,235 
			  Minimum 18,672 19,139 19,617 19,831 20,479 
			 Dl Maximum 21,205 21,736 22,279 22,522 23,057 
			  Minimum 16,185 16,590 17,005 17,190 17,745 
			 D2 Maximum 18,842 19,313 19,795 20,011 20,479 
			  Minimum 15,218 15,599 15,989 16,163 16,681 
			 El Point 12,916 13,352 13,686 14,097 14,449 
			 E2 Point 12,278 12,688 13,006 13,396 13,731 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Catering 
			  £ 
			1 April each year 
			  Pay band  Pay range  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 CGA1 Point 30,728 31,803 33,075 33,902 34,923 
			 CGA2 Point 27,184 28,135 29,260 29,992 30,895 
			 CGB Point 23,047 23,854 24,808 25,428 26,194 
			 CGC Point 20,092 20,795 21,627 22,168 22,835 
			 CGD1 Point 17,729 18,349 19,083 19,560 20,149 
			 CGD2 Point 16,013 16,573 17,236 17,667 18,199 
			 CGE Point 14,342 14,844 15,438 15,824 16,301 
			 Commis Chef Maximum 14,075 14,568 15,151 15,530 15,998 
			  Minimum 13,215 13,678 14,225 14,581 15,020 
			 Apprentice Chef Maximum 11,052 11,439 11,897 12,194 12,562 
			  Minimum 8,348 8,640 8,986 9,211 9,488 
		
	
	
		
			  (d) Craft 
			  £ 
			1 April each year 
			  Pay band  Pay range  1 April 2003  1 April 2004  1 April 2005  1 April 2006  1 April 2007 
			 Supervisor (C) Maximum — — — 26,594 27,235 
			  Point 20,133 20,919 21,756 — — 
			  Minimum — — — 19,831 20,479 
			 Craftsman A (Dl) Maximum — — — 22,522 23,057 
			  Point 17,981 18,682 19,429 — — 
			  Minimum — — — 19,478 20,115 
			 Craftsman B (Dl) Maximum — — — 19,478 19,934 
			  Point 16,537 17,182 17,869 — — 
			  Minimum — — — 17,190 17,745 
			 Semi-skilled (D2) Maximum — — — 17,812 18,225 
			  Point 15,143 15,734 16,363 — — 
			  Minimum — — — 16,163 16,681 
			 Non-skilled Point 14,654 15,225 15,834 16,044 16,445 
			 Apprentice Maximum 15,284 15,880 16,515 16,995 17,420 
			  Minimum 7,192 7,472 7,772 7,998 8,198

Members: Allowances

Graham Allen: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate has been made of the effect on paper usage by the Department of Resources of meeting freedom of information requests in respect of the publication of hon. Members' reimbursements; how many person hours this work has involved; and what the total cost of this operation has been to date.

Nick Harvey: There has been no discernable effect on paper usage by the Department of Resources in relation to the preparing of allowance expenditure information from the years 2004-05 to the first quarter of 2008-09 for publication later this year. The records are being reproduced electronically and will be published on the internet. The work of preparing the information for publication is being undertaken by the Department of Resources and by an outside contractor under secure conditions. Within the Department of Resources approximately 2,660 person hours have been dedicated to the project. No record is held of person hours expended by the contractor. The overall cost to date of preparing the information for publication is approximately £600,000.

Nurseries

Lynne Jones: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent consideration has been given by the House authorities to the provision of crèche facilities on the parliamentary estate as an alternative option alongside the childcare voucher scheme for staff of hon. Members.

Nick Harvey: The provision of a crèche on the estate has not been considered since July 2003. Following a feasibility study and a survey of Members, the Commission weighed the options carefully and considered that most parents prefer younger children to be cared for at or near their home. Child care vouchers continue to be available for staff of hon. Members and staff of the House. Following suggestions that the voucher scheme be extended to Members, the Commission recently asked the Administration Committee to look at child care again and assess the level of demand among Members for any change to the current arrangements.

Official Report

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the average cost of making the  Official Report available online was per sitting day in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: House of Commons printing and publishing charges, including electronic publication charges, are calculated in arrears by financial year. The  Official Report is made available online as 'Today in the Commons', daily part text and bound volume text forms. For FY 2007-08, the average cost of making all of these forms available online was £1,100 per sitting day. Other costs associated with the production of House Papers, particularly staff costs which are not attributed to individual forms of publications, are not included.

Official Report

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the average printing cost of the  Official Report was per sitting day in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: House of Commons printing and publishing charges are calculated in arrears by financial year. The  Official Report is made available in printed form as daily parts and bound volumes as well as weekly volumes; and indexes are also produced. Printing costs are not separately identifiable from the total overall charge raised by the contractor, for making copies of the  Official Report available in the various forms and quantities required. For FY 2007-08, the average cost of making all the forms of the  Official Report available in printed form in the total quantities required was £22,000 per sitting day.

Official Report

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many copies of the  Official Report were printed on average per sitting day in  (a) each year from 1998 to 2007 and  (b) 2008 to date.

Nick Harvey: The following figures for the average number of copies of the  Official Report printed in each year from 1998 to 2007 have been provided by the House's printer as follows:
	
		
			   Copies 
			 1998 2,788 
			 1999 2,655 
			 2000 2,479 
			 2001 2,296 
			 2002 2,203 
			 2003 2,165 
			 2004 2,022 
			 2005 1,987 
			 2006 1,923 
			 2007 1,549 
		
	
	In 2008 to date, 1,339 copies have been printed on average per sitting day.

Palace of Westminster: Theft

Adrian Sanders: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many articles have been reported stolen from the Palace of Westminster in the last 12 months; and what those items were.

Nick Harvey: From the latest statistical information collected, there were nine reported thefts from the Palace of Westminster in the last 12 months. Detailed information is given as follows:
	One computer laptop;
	One digital camera;
	One set of golf clubs;
	One pair of candlesticks; and
	Five amounts of cash, all under £100.

Parliament: Internet

Don Foster: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what guidelines govern the blocking of access to websites from the parliamentary network; and if he will place in the Library a list of all blocked websites.

Nick Harvey: The Administration Committee approved the introduction of web filtering for Members on 30 January 2007 on the basis of a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Security. They did so as part of Parliaments' range of security measures designed to protect the parliamentary network and all its users from unauthorised access and viruses. The type of sites that are blocked relate to those that are associated with deploying or containing spyware, malware, phishing and other malicious content.
	Members and staff have been notified of the process that they should follow if a site is incorrectly blocked or if they wish to view a site for research or other parliamentary purposes that has been blocked correctly.
	No list is maintained within Parliament of individual websites that are blocked and the filtering service runs constantly to rate and block, if appropriate, new sites that appear on the web.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the operation of the law relating to abortion.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated any research evidence on the operation of the Abortion Act 1967, as amended.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 839W.

Abortion

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an independent investigation into the operation of the law relating to abortion.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep up to date with all the latest evidence and developments in this area. For these reasons, the Government have no plan to set up an independent review.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admission episodes where the admission method was via accident and emergency for an alcohol-related diagnosis there were in each NHS trust where the patient was  (a) under 10,  (b) between 11 and 15 and  (c) between 16 and 18 years old in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Tables have been placed in the Library which give the number of finished admission episodes where the admission method was via accident and emergency for an alcohol-related diagnosis in each NHS trust for the last five years where the patient was under 10, between 11 and 15 and between 16 and 18 years old.
	Data concerning hospital admissions are collected, analysed and published by the Information Centre for health and social care (IC). The IC methodology represents a count of all finished admission episodes where one or more of the following three diagnoses was mentioned in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in a hospital episode statistics record:
	mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (F10);
	alcoholic liver disease (K70); and
	toxic effect of alcohol (T51).
	The North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) have developed a new methodology for analysing data concerning alcohol-related hospital admissions. Following international best practice, the NWPHO methodology uses alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs). These AAFs consider a much wider range of diseases and injuries in which alcohol plays a part and estimate the proportion of cases that are attributable to the consumption of alcohol. This methodology is currently being finalised and figures will be made available in due course.

Health: Tourists

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial assistance is available to people who are travelling abroad to help them pay for essential medicines or injections; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recommends that all United Kingdom residents intending to travel either within or outside of Europe, take out private travel insurance before they go. Within the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, the European Health Insurance Card does entitle British tourists to treatment that may become necessary during their trip including maternity care, renal dialysis and managing the symptoms of pre-existing or chronic conditions. The UK also has reciprocal agreements with a limited number of non-EEA countries which provide UK residents with emergency treatment at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. However, neither of those provisions cover UK residents for all potential healthcare costs for example, repatriation back to the UK or private sector treatment.

Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance his Department has given to the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV in each year since its inception; how much is planned for 2008-09; how many officials provide the secretariat for the advisory group; what the grade is of each; what restrictions his Department places on the use of such funds; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV was established in 2003 to provide advice to government and to monitor the overall success of "Better prevention, Better Services, Better Sexual Health: the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV", published in 2001. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library. Departmental officials have a close relationship with the chair of the group and with members. The secretariat is provided by one official at higher executive officer level on a part-time basis. Departmental funding covers the chair's salary, members' fees and expenses, events and publications. The value of the financial assistance to the group since its establishment is set out in the following table. In addition to this, in 2007-08 £90,000 was provided to enable the Independent Advisory Group to commission a review of the Sexual Health and HIV Strategy. The review—"Progress and priorities—working together for high quality sexual health: Review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV" was published in July 2008, copies of this publication have been placed in the Library. We plan to allocate £150,000 to the group in the financial year 2008-09.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2003-04 3,952.55 
			 2004-05 70,173.39 
			 2005-06 98,954.99 
			 2006-07 104,179.63 
			 2007-08 137,350.54 
			 Overall total 414,611.10

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce secondary legislation to deregulate Class 3B and 4 lasers and intense light sources.

Ben Bradshaw: Following the responses to the "Private and Voluntary Healthcare Consultation: care Standards Act 2000. Regulations and national minimum standards consultation document", (copies of which have already been placed in the Library) we are currently undertaking further detailed work in order to examine a range of different deregulatory options regarding lasers and lights.

NHS Direct: Translation Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which non-English languages are offered to users of NHS Direct services; and what the total budgetary allocation for NHS Direct translation and language services is;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the efficacy of NHS Direct translation and language services in providing equitable and accessible medical advice for non-English speakers.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Direct offers interpretation and translation services for all callers to telephone services through Language Line in the following languages:
	Assamese
	Azeri
	Afrikaans
	Algerian
	Ashanti
	Akan
	Albanian
	Amharic
	Armenian
	Arabic
	Assyrian
	Azerbaijani
	Badini
	Bengali
	Burmese
	Bajuni
	Belorussian
	Bosnian
	Berber
	Basque
	Bulgarian
	Brava
	Brazilian
	Cantonese
	Cebuano
	Creole
	Chinese
	Cherokee
	Columbian
	Cambodian
	Chaochow
	Croatian
	Catalan
	Czech
	Danish
	Dari
	Dutch
	Egyptian
	Estonian
	Eritrean
	Esperanto
	Ethiopian
	Farsi
	Fijian
	Flemish
	Fanti
	French
	Finnish
	Fulla
	Ga
	German
	Gurmukhi
	Gaelic
	Gorani
	Georgian
	Greek
	Gujarati
	Hakka
	Hebrew
	Hindi
	Homa
	Hausa
	Hungarian
	Hui
	Icelandic
	Igbo
	Ilocano
	Indonesian
	Iraqi
	Iranian
	Italian
	Japanese
	Kashmiri
	Kreo
	Kirundi
	Kurmanji
	Kannada
	Korean
	Krio
	Kosovan
	Kurdish
	Kinyarwanda
	Kinyamirenge
	Kazakh
	Latvian
	Laotian
	Lao
	Lubwisi
	Lebanese
	Lingala
	Luo
	Lusoga
	Lithuanian
	Luganda
	Mandarin
	Macedonian
	Moldovan
	Mirpuri
	Mandinka
	Malay
	Mongolian
	Moroccan
	Marathi
	Maltese
	Malayalam
	Ndebele
	Nepalese
	Nigerian
	Norwegian
	Nyakuse
	Oromo
	Pahari
	Persian
	Portuguese
	Philipino
	Polish
	Pothwari
	Pusthu
	Punjabi
	Romanian
	Russian
	Sotho
	Serbo-Croat
	Swedish
	Serbian
	Shona
	Sinhalese
	Siraiki
	Slovak
	Samoan
	Slovenian
	Somali
	Sorani
	Spanish
	Sri Lankan
	Scottish Gaelic
	Sudanese
	Swahili
	Sylheti
	Tamil
	Tibetan
	Telegu
	Elakil
	Tagalog
	Thai
	Tigrinian
	Tigre
	Tajik
	Taiwanese
	Turkmanish
	Tswana
	Turkish
	Twi
	Ugandan
	Ukranian
	Urdu
	Ussian
	Uzbek
	Vietnamese
	Welsh
	Wolof
	Xhosa
	Yugoslavian
	Yiddish
	Yoruba
	Zulu
	Content and information on NHS Direct Online and Digital TV is provided in the following languages:
	Arabic
	Albanian
	Bengali
	Cantonese
	Farsi
	French
	Gujarati
	Hindi
	Italian
	Korean
	Polish
	Portuguese
	Punjabi
	Russian
	Somali
	Spanish
	Turkish
	Urdu
	NHS Direct also offers to provide translated versions of any Online, Digital TV and Health Information content in the languages listed above upon request.
	The budgetary allocation for these services for 2008-09 is £255,000.
	NHS Direct actively encourages patients and the public to provide feedback regarding the service. Since commencing the current contract with Language Line there have been no formal complaints regarding translation services.

NHS: Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital expenditure there was on buildings in the NHS between  (a) 1979 and 1997 and  (b) 1997 and 2007 in real terms using 2006-07 prices; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information in the following table shows total capital expenditure in the NHS over the period specified. The Department does not hold historic records that identify the proportion of this expenditure on buildings.
	
		
			  NHS capital expenditure, England, 1979-80 to 2007-08 
			Capital net NHS expenditure  (£ billion) 
			Nominal  2006-07 prices 
			  Cash( 1)
			 1979-80 Outturn 0.452 1.512 
			 1980-81 Outturn 0.611 1.727 
			 1981-82 Outturn 0.738 1.903 
			 1982-83 Outturn 0.771 1.859 
			 1983-84 Outturn 0.793 1.827 
			 1984-85 Outturn 0.874 1.912 
			 1985-86 Outturn 0.927 1.920 
			 1986-87 Outturn 0.940 1.886 
			 1987-88 Outturn 0.926 1.757 
			 1988-89 Outturn 0.928 1.649 
			 1989-90 Outturn 1.222 2.027 
			 1990-91 Outturn 1.426 2.193 
			 1991-92 Outturn 1.524 2.212 
			 1992-93 Outturn 1.752 2.467 
			 1993-94 Outturn 1.594 2.184 
			 1994-95 Outturn 1.865 2.517 
			 1995-96 Outturn 1.736 2.277 
			 1996-97 Outturn 1.341 1.696 
			 1997-98 Outturn 1.089 1.343 
			 1998-99 Outturn 0.808 0.975 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 0.963 1.140 
			 
			  Resource Budgeting Stage 1( 2)
			 1999-2000 Outturn 0.908 1.075 
			 2000-01 Outturn 1.246 1.455 
			 2001-02 Outturn 1.732 1.979 
			 2002-03 Outturn 2.107 2.333 
			 
			  Resource Budgeting Stage 2( 3)
			 2003-04 Outturn 2.602 2.800 
			 2004-05 Outturn 2.624 2.750 
			 2005-06 Outturn 2.151 2.209 
			 2006-07 Outturn Estimated 3.069 3.069 
			 2007-08 Outturn 3.591 3.484 
			 (1) Expenditure pre 1999-2000 is on a cash basis. (2) Expenditure figures from 1999-00 to 2002-03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis. (3) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2010-11 are on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis.  Notes: 1. Expenditure excludes NHS (AME). 2. GDP deflator 30 September 2008.

NHS: Consultants

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what amendments he proposes to table during the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to rectify the omission of the names of current NHS consultants from the Specialist Register when it was created.

Ben Bradshaw: The Health and Social Care Act received Royal Assent on 21 July 2008. The Government will lay before Parliament the draft Medical Profession (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2008. This is an Order in Council under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 subject to affirmative resolution. The draft order contains a provision, which will reinstate the powers of the General Medical Council to grant late entry to the Specialist Register to those consultants who did not join the register when it was created.

Paracetamol: Children

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what investigations his Department plans to undertake to evaluate the possible effects on children of taking paracetamol suspension type medicines;
	(2)  whether his Department will be introducing new guidelines for the retailing of paracetamol suspensions.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines in the United Kingdom and, where necessary, takes suitable action to safeguard public health.
	As new evidence comes to light, the MHRA seeks advice on safety issues from its independent scientific advisory group—the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM). If action is needed, following an assessment of the risks and benefits of the medicine, then a number of regulatory options are available, including: withdrawal of a product from the market; and, amending the labelling and Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).
	In relation to the use of paracetamol in children, a paper was published in  The Lancet on 20 September 2008 which explored the possible link between asthma in children aged six-seven years and earlier use of paracetamol. This issue has previously been considered on a number of occasions by the predecessor to CHM, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and its Sub-Committee on Pharmacovigilance, which concluded that a causal relationship had not been established. The data from the most recent paper is under careful consideration by the CHM, and appropriate regulatory action, including the issuing of guidance, will be taken if necessary in the light of the advice obtained.

Parkinson's Disease: Medical Treatments

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which primary care trusts Duodopa has been prescribed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Between June 2007 and July 2008, Duodopa was prescribed in Central Lancashire, Leeds and Nottinghamshire County Teaching Primary Care Trusts.

Patient Choice Schemes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the choose and book service; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the effectiveness of choose and book.
	The Department does collect data on the number of general practitioner referrals to first out-patient services booked via choose and book each month. The end of month position for August 2008 showed that 49 per cent. of all out-patient referrals were made through the choose and book system.
	To date over 10 million patients have been referred through choose and book of which over 8.5 million have been referred to out-patient care.
	Trusts using choose and book are reporting significant improvements in operational efficiency and service delivery. For example, Kettering General Hospitals NHS Trust reported that choose and book helped to cut their missed hospital appointments by approximately a third.

Standish Hospital

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the arrangements are for the protection of the Standish Hospital site; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the placing of guardians there; and what investigation he has undertaken into the competence of  (a) Camelot and  (b) Safe Estates in relation to this site.

Ben Bradshaw: The current arrangements for the protection of the Standish Hospital site are 24-hour manned security together with alarm arrangements and boarding of the property, including metal shuttering.
	The Department was concerned that the use of guardians was not providing the desired level of site security. A tendering exercise, with appropriate evaluation, was therefore undertaken to put in place the current arrangements.

JUSTICE

Borders: Personal Records

John Spellar: To asks the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2008, when the agreement between the EU and the United States on the processing and transfer of passenger name record data by air carriers to the United States' Department for Homeland Security will next be reviewed.

Michael Wills: The review is expected to begin before the end of this year.

Children: Protection

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy, acting as central authority under the Hague convention, where a family has had further children since emigrating with one or more children subject to an interim or final care order, to seek to transfer jurisdiction for child protection to the family's current habitual residence.

Bridget Prentice: The role and functions of the Central Authority are established through International law. The Central Authority has no power to transfer jurisdiction. Only a court seized of proceedings regarding a child may do so, and then only in accordance with international law.
	Where a child is subject to an interim or final care order, and the family removes the child from the UK against the wishes of the local authority with care of the child, the local authority is entitled to use the Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction to obtain return of the child from the jurisdiction to which he or she has been taken. The Central Authority is legally obliged by that convention to transmit an application for return of the child to the jurisdiction to which the child has been taken. These matters are not susceptible to policy review because they arise as a result of the UK's international legal obligations.
	Upon return of the child under the convention, the courts here have jurisdiction to deal with all issues regarding the welfare of the child, and will take into account the importance of the child's family and sibling relationships. The mechanism in the convention providing for swift return of a child wrongfully removed is important in ensuring that children's cases are heard by the courts of the jurisdiction where they are habitually resident, which will be best placed to assess the child's welfare. Further, it ensures that people cannot seek to evade proceedings and orders by removing the child to another jurisdiction in the hope of escaping the attention of the authorities or getting a more favourable outcome from the court of another country which is less well-placed to assess the child's welfare than the courts of his or her habitual residence. This is essential for child protection.
	If a parent or parents of a child subject to a care order wish to emigrate they can apply to the court prior to the emigration for an order allowing the move. In determining that decision the court can hear from all appropriate parties. If such an order is made the family is free to move and the courts of the new jurisdiction would assume jurisdiction for the child once its habitual residence was established there.

Consent to Medical Treatment: Children

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an estimate of the average age at which a child has been considered to be Gillick competent and able to instruct a solicitor in family court proceedings relating to his or her medical treatment.

Bridget Prentice: Data about cases in which children have been considered to be Gillick competent and able to instruct a solicitor in relation to medical treatment are not collected in a way which would enable an estimate to be provided of the average age of children in such cases.

Courts Service: Land

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to dispose of land owned by HM Courts Service at Spring Bank, New Mills.

Bridget Prentice: HM Courts Service is currently seeking to dispose of the freehold interest in the land at Spring Bank, New Mills as the planning consent for a new courthouse has expired and the site is now considered surplus to operational requirements. We remain committed to provision of court services to the High Peak area.

Courts: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the required expenditure for the courts estate in Northern Ireland over the next three years.

Bridget Prentice: The Northern Ireland Court Service settlement for the CSR period 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 includes a capital allocation of £7 million/£7.4 million/£7.4 million respectively. This allocation will cover expenditure on essential buildings maintenance and other capital projects including ICT systems.
	The Court Service has initiated a review of its future estate requirements for the medium to longer term which will inform the Department's bid in the next CSR spending round.

Criminal Proceedings: Interpreters

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps he has taken to ensure that there is an adequate number of qualified interpreters available for criminal proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: We have taken forward a range of measures aimed at improving both the quality and the availability of interpreters in the criminal justice system. In particular, we have sponsored a conversion course aimed at immigration interpreters from EU accession countries. The purpose of this is to upgrade their qualifications so they can register on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters which will enable them to work for the criminal justice system in this country. We have also supported bids for European funding from organisations interested in working in this area, resulting in two universities being granted funding to develop training in this area and explore video-interpreting.

Crown Dependencies: Meetings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what meetings he has held with representatives of the Isle of Man in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the president or members of the states of Alderney in the last 12 months;

Michael Wills: The Secretary of State has held no meetings with representatives of the Isle of Man in the last 12 months. I met with the Isle of Man's Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Director of External Relations on 5 December 2007 in London and met with representatives of the Isle of Man Government, including the Chief Minister, in the Isle of Man on 29 September.
	There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and the President or members of the States of Alderney in the last 12 months.

Debt Collection: Parking Offences

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the powers bailiffs have to collect monies for unpaid parking fines under the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.

Bridget Prentice: Bailiffs' powers currently stem from common law and numerous pieces of legislation resulting in an array of mechanisms depending on the type of debt or type of agent responsible for enforcement.
	The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 introduces a single piece of bailiff law which brings together in one place the legal structure for all warrant enforcement, written in terms that are easily understandable and which clearly outline the rights and responsibilities of creditors, debtors and enforcement agents.
	To implement these provisions, underpinning rules and regulations will be required. A recently completed scoping exercise, which involved a series of meetings with relevant stakeholders, identified issues that require further public consultation. It is anticipated that the consultation will generate representations from a wide range of stakeholders, including the enforcement industry, local authorities, other Government Departments and lobby groups. Our proposed approach to progressing this and achieving implementation of the Act is being developed and we anticipate that this part of the work will be completed shortly.
	Although formal consultation on the regulations has yet to begin, correspondence is regularly received on the enforcement reforms contained within parts 3 and 4 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act. However, due to volume, it is considered time disproportionate to review all correspondence to identify representations specific to unpaid parking fines.

Departmental Manpower

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 54-55W, on departmental manpower, 
	(1)  what records his Department's human resources department holds on the number of  (a) permanent staff without fixed posts and  (b) staff classified as priority movers;
	(2)  what records the human resources departments of his Department's agencies hold on the number of  (a) permanent staff without fixed posts and  (b) staff classified as priority movers.

Michael Wills: There are 53 MoJ permanent staff who are classified as priority movers, or who are currently without fixed posts. They are employed within the Department's agencies, including Her Majesty's Courts Service, The Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Her Majesty's Prison Service. A break down for those currently without fixed posts are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 MOJ 19 
			 HMCS 8 
			 Tribunals Service 2 
			 HMPS 24 
		
	
	All are in active employment, and their redeployment is being managed by their line managers and the Human Resources Directorate within the Ministry of Justice, and across the wider civil service.
	Each case is actively managed in accordance with published departmental policy and procedures.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies were seconded to  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice has not seconded any staff from public relations, public affairs firms or consultancies from within its former Department for Constitutional Affairs agencies and associated offices or from Her Majesty's Prison Service or National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform within the last five years.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's budget and that of its predecessor was used for research within its areas of responsibility in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   MOJ HQ  OPG  HMCS  OCJR 
			 1998-99 (1)— n/a (3)— n/a 
			 1999-2000 0.38 n/a (3)— n/a 
			 2000-01 0.36 n/a (3)— n/a 
			 2001-02 0.24 (2)— (3)— n/a 
			 2002-03 0.51 0.09 (3)— n/a 
			 2003-04 0.35 0.20 (3)— n/a 
			 2004-05 0.19 0.34 (3)— 0.04 
			 2005-06 0.19 0.40 0.07 0.18 
			 2006-07 0.25 0.14 0.08 0.51 
			 2007-08 1.65 0.08 0.12 (4)— 
			 (1 )Ministry of Justice Headquarters and Associated Offices. 1998-99 to May 2003: Lord Chancellor's Department. June 2003 to April 2007: Department for Constitutional Affairs. May 2007 to present: Ministry of Justice. The proportion of spend for 2007-08 comprises 0.32 per cent. administration expenditure and 1.33 per cent. programme expenditure.  The increase over 2006-07 reflects the creation of the new Ministry following a machinery of government change. National Offender Management Service HQ elements and Office of Criminal Justice Reform are included in the make up of the 'core Department' in the 2007-08 Resource Accounts.  Expenditure for all years is in respect of research and development. Identifying the research element could be done only at disproportionate cost.  The proportion of spend for 1998-99 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (2 )Office of the Public Guardian.  2001-02 to September 2007: Public Guardianship Office.  October 2007 to present: Office of the Public Guardian.  The Public Guardianship Office became an executive agency of the Lord Chancellor's Department in April 2001. The proportion of spend for 2001-02 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (3 )HM Courts Service.  1998-99 to 2005-06: Court Service.  2005-06 to present: HM Courts Service.  The proportion of spend for 1998-99 to 2004-05 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (4 )Office for Criminal Justice Reform.  OCJR was launched in 2004 and therefore prior year figures are unavailable. The proportion of spend for 2007-08 was 0.23 per cent. This has been consolidated with the MOJ HQ figure as OCJR was included in the 'core Department' in the 2007-08 resources accounts. 
		
	
	 Tribunals Service.
	No direct research costs have been incurred since the Tribunals Service was launched in April 2006.
	 HM Prison Service and National Probation Service.
	No direct research costs have been incurred by the HMPS and NPS as research is undertaken at NOMS HQ level.
	Research and development expenditure can be identified in the relevant Department/Agency's resource accounts available on their internet site and via the Office of Public Sector Information.
	Historic data are also collated by ONS and can be found at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/dius/science/science-funding/set-stats/index.html

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in his (i) Department and (ii) executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Michael Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 651-57W.

Electoral Register: Commonwealth

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of Commonwealth citizens who are registered to vote and do not have leave to remain in the UK.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 6 October 2008
	 I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of Commonwealth citizens who are registered to vote and do not have leave to remain in the UK. (224333)
	The Office for National Statistics publishes information collected by local authorities on the numbers of people on electoral rolls who are registered to vote in the United Kingdom. The data available from local authority electoral returns do not make it possible to distinguish those who are Commonwealth citizens, nor do they include information on eligibility to remain in the UK.

Family Law

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the consequences for his Department's responsibilities of the European Court of Human Rights case X v Croatia, reported in July 2008.

Bridget Prentice: This case involved a mother who was divested of capacity to act under Croatian law. She played no part in the adoption proceedings. The European Court of Human Rights held that there was insufficient involvement of the mother in the decision-making process and it was this that breached her Article 8 rights. In England and Wales the parent is a party to the placement and adoption proceedings. A party, or an intended party, who lacks capacity (within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005) to conduct the proceedings must have a litigation friend to conduct proceedings on his or her behalf. This means that the person is represented in the proceedings.

Freedom of Information: Local Authorities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on whether responses prepared by local authorities' freedom of information officers should be passed to council group leaders for approval or amendment.

Michael Wills: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not require responses to freedom of information requests made to local authorities to be passed to council group leaders for approval or amendment and the Ministry of Justice has issued no guidance on this issue. It is the responsibility of each authority covered by the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that it complies with its statutory obligations and follows the section 45 code of practice when handling requests for information.

Legal Systems: Islam

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether there are any courts in England and Wales which incorporate elements of Sharia law in their work; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The legal system that operates the courts in England and Wales does not incorporate any elements of Sharia law.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter to him from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 25 July 2008 (reference: 209717) on a court case.

Maria Eagle: I replied to the hon. Member on 9 October. I apologise for the delay.

Open Prisons: Prisoner Escapes

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners absconded from open prisons in each of the last five years, broken down by prison establishment.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of prisoners who have absconded from open prisons between April 2003 and March 2008 broken down by  (a) prison and  (b) year. The number of absconds last year was the lowest level since centralised recording began in 1995 and levels have continued to fall in the current year. Escapes too have been falling for over a decade with the current low levels having been sustained for some years now. This is despite considerable increases in population over the same period. It is my intention to continue this downward trend.
	
		
			  Establishment name  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Askham Grange 31 12 14 7 11 
			 East Sutton Park 1 2 4 2 0 
			 Ford 142 110 96 62 47 
			 Hewell Grange 31 24 24 13 15 
			 Hollesley Bay 36 32 16 21 19 
			 Kirkham 213 120 74 54 65 
			 Leyhill 114 102 66 37 55 
			 Moorland/Hatfield 68 73 49 41 23 
			 North Sea Camp 79 33 49 48 46 
			 Norwich (Britten House Open Element) — 8 2 2 1 
			 Usk\Prescoed 35 19 9 9 8 
			 Spring Hill 60 36 34 11 21 
			 Standford Hill 89 39 58 38 44 
			 Sudbury 75 77 76 78 55 
			 Thorn Cross 130 90 105 82 68 
			 Wealstun 144 74 28 46 32 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.
	Figures on absconds and a range of other prison performance statistics are available at:
	http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/prison performance/performancestatistics/

Parc Young Offender Institution

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when representatives of  (a) his Department,  (b) the Youth Justice Board and  (c) the National Offender Management Service met representatives of Parc Young Offender Institution (YOI) to discuss the provision of inreach child and adolescent mental health services at Parc YOI in each of the last eight years; and when he expects such services to be provided.

David Hanson: The director of HM prison and young offender institution Parc is responsible for the young persons' custodial facility there and during the last eight years, there have been regular meetings involving representatives from the Home Office, who previously had responsibility for the contract management of Parc, my Department, the Youth Justice Board and the National Offender Management Service. The provision of in-reach child and adolescent mental health services for young people has been an important issue for discussion, and has involved the Welsh Assembly Government in respect of the devolved responsibilities for health services in Wales.
	The clinical director and directorate manager of the child adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) directorate, Cwm Taf trust has been involved in work with Bridgend local health board to progress the development of mental health service provision to adolescents sent to Parc. A meeting held on 19 September was attended by representatives of Parc prison management, Parc prison health team (Primecare), Bridgend local health board, CAMHS directorate, Cwm Taf NHS trust and my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon).
	At the meeting it was agreed that a business base proposal would be developed for CAMHS provision in Parc in the form of an 'inreach' team similar to that currently provided by adult mental health services. It is intended that this proposal will be discussed at a forthcoming Bridgend Local Health Board Prison Health Partnership meeting for approval and will then be forwarded to the relevant NHS Wales bodies for funding and commissioning.

Parc Young Offender Institution

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will write to those juvenile courts which sentence young offenders to sentences at Parc young offender institution to inform them of the absence of inreach child and adolescent mental health services at that institution; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It is the responsibility of the Youth Justice Board to allocate placements to young people who are sentenced to custody, taking into account factors such as vulnerability, other individual needs and distance from home. The courts do not play any part in that process.
	At a recent meeting it was agreed that a business base proposal would be developed for the child adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provision in Parc in the form of an 'inreach' team similar to that currently provided by adult mental health services. It is intended that this proposal will be discussed at a forthcoming Bridgend Local Health Board Prison Health Partnership meeting for approval and will then be forwarded to the relevant NHS Wales bodies for funding and commissioning.

Prisoners: Armed Forces

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proposals his Department and its predecessor implemented since May 1997 to reduce the number of former and serving armed forces personnel sentenced to custody by the civilian courts in England and Wales; and what plans his Department has in this area.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 6 October 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The armed forces are underpinned by a culture of discipline which is reinforced through codes of conduct. Military law supplements UK civilian law but does not replace it. The Ministry of Defence takes seriously all unlawful acts committed by service personnel, but recognises that unlawful behaviour can be indicative of wider social or mental health problems. A variety of measures are therefore in place to address such problems where they arise and to reduce the risk of former and serving personnel encountering such difficulties.
	Welfare support is available for all personnel in service, for their families and for service leavers, and we have arrangements in place to identify and address mental health problems quickly where they arise. All personnel receive a mandatory briefing and a guidance pack to help their return to civilian life. Since 2006-07, those leaving service early are assessed for their vulnerability to social exclusion and offered specialist help. A pilot project is in progress to test whether mentoring would also reduce the risks that vulnerable leavers can face when leaving the armed forces. Veterans facing difficulties in their civilian lives also have access to the free Veterans helpline and the Veterans Welfare Service which can signpost to sources of advice and help.
	Through the 'Prison In-Reach' initiative, which the Government put in place in partnership with the relevant Third Sector organisations, veterans who have offended (and their families) are made aware of the specialist support available to them, both before and after release. In addition to the improvements in mental health care during service, a new model of community-based mental health care is being piloted at six sites across the UK providing veterans with access to culturally sensitive expert care; if successful, it is intended to roll out the model more widely. In areas not covered by these pilots, veterans serving since 1982 have access to specialist mental health advice from the Medical Assessment Programme at St. Thomas' hospital in London; this service is available to those veterans in prison whose health professions would like an expert assessment. The Ministry of Defence and National Offender Management Service are working in partnership to put in place measures to assess the current veteran offender population; this work should inform what further measures might be appropriate to help those who have served in the armed forces and to reduce offending.

Prisoners: Death

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps are taken to investigate the death of a prisoner from non-natural causes on the Prison Estate;
	(2)  what the average cost of investigating the death from non-natural causes of a prisoner on the Prison Estate is.

David Hanson: The steps taken to investigate the death of a prisoner by non-natural causes are essentially the same as for all deaths in prison custody. In every case the police are notified and will investigate. Once their investigation is concluded the prisons and probation ombudsman initiates a further independent investigation. The key elements of their investigation are:
	a named investigator will lead the investigation and a family liaison officer will liaise with the bereaved family.
	the investigator examines all relevant documents and policies, and will interview relevant staff and prisoners as appropriate.
	the primary care trust will also carry out a clinical review of the health care provided to the person before their death.
	Other required actions following any death in prison custody are set out in Prison Service Order 2710: Follow up to Deaths In Custody.
	Investigations into non-natural cause deaths, particularly suspected homicides, can take much longer to complete than those into apparent natural causes because, investigations by the prisons and probation ombudsman are suspended until the police have completed their investigations.
	The costs of death in custody investigations are borne centrally by the Ministry of Justice and can vary widely. The prisons and probation ombudsman estimates that the average costs of his office in 2007-08 in carrying out deaths in custody investigations, including those occurring in prisons, young offender institutions, and among the residents of approved premises, was just over £16,000 per case. Separate figures for specific types of deaths such as non-natural are not available.

Prisoners: Employment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction during 2008 of changes to the core working day on the progress of prison establishments towards their purposeful activity key performance target.

David Hanson: Following consultation with staff groups, unions, prisoners, external providers and stakeholders the Standard Core Day was introduced in the prison estate on 6 July 2008. Regular contact has been kept with the operational line throughout the implementation. A three-month review and assessment of the impact of the core day is due to begin in October 2008.
	I will write to the hon. Member to inform him of the outcome of this review and will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Prisoners: Employment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours on average prisoners spent on  (a) work,  (b) other purposeful activity and  (c) out of cell each week (i) in July 2008, (ii) in July 2007, (iii) in July 2006, (iv) in July 2005, (v) in July 2004, (vi) in July 2003, (vii) on each day of the latest week for which figures are available and (viii) on each Friday of the last four months for which figures are available in each (A) adult (1) male and (2) female prison and (B) (I) male and (II) female young offender institution in England and Wales.

David Hanson: The average number of weekly hours of work and other purposeful activity, per prisoner per week, for each of the months requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House due to the volume of the information. Weekday time out of cell data are collated centrally each month. Therefore, the average number of weekday hours out of cell per prisoner in each of the months requested is shown in the table that has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Purposeful activity and time out of cell data are not collated on a daily basis. Therefore, data cannot be shown for each day of the latest week for which figures are available and on each Friday of the last four months for which figures are available.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many category A prisoners are serving sentences in category B, C or D prisons.

David Hanson: There are currently no category A prisoners outside the High Security Estate. The High Security Estate consists of eight prisons; Manchester, Woodhill, Belmarsh, Long Lartin, Wakefield, Whitemoor, Frankland and Full Sutton. These are the only prison establishments in England and Wales permitted to hold category A prisoners or those evaluated as provisional category A prisoners, unless the director of high security prisons approves otherwise.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison cells have en-suite showers.

Jack Straw: The information requested is not held centrally, but I have asked that the National Offender Management Service take steps to obtain this information. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of assaults upon prison officers in the course of their duties in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following data is subject to important qualifications. The NOMS incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide a good indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute. There is a slight lag in reporting which means that the provisional number mentioned here will rise a little in the coming months.
	Data on incidents where one or more staff are victims are shown as follows. Figures provided are for calendar years from 2005 to end of September 2008 for comparison purposes.
	
		
			  Assault  incidents with staff as victim 
			   Number 
			 2005 3,170 
			 2006 3,150 
			 2007 2,930 
			 2008(1) 2,157 
			 (1) This is for the first nine months of 2008 only.  Note: From 2007, figures do not include the three prisons (Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst) where the incident recording has transferred to the NOMIS system. 
		
	
	Assault data are complex and the numbers need to be interpreted with caution. The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents; these may also include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact events and allegations. Information recorded as assault incidents may involve one or more victim.
	NOMS and the Prison Officers Association are jointly committed to 'zero tolerance' on assaults on staff. The Secretary of State for Justice has written to the Attorney-General and Home Secretary, both of whom are committed to pursing a robust and consistent approach to the involvement of the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in prosecuting such assaults. Along side working with the CPS and the police, enhanced guidance is also currently being developed by Police Advisers Section in NOMS headquarters on a much wider agenda of crime reporting in prisons. This guidance will address the subject of the reporting and investigation of allegations of assault on prison staff and aims to provide national consistency in classifying and responding to crime committed in prisons. The guidance will be an important step in making sure that the most serious incidents are referred to the police.
	Assault information is categorised and recorded at establishment level. The recorded incidents of assaults on prison officers are not completely exclusive to officers; establishment recording sometimes includes assaults on other prison staff in this category.

Probation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of his Department's planned efficiency savings for the Probation Service in England and Wales for 2009-10 and 2010-11 on the service's service delivery and quality.

David Hanson: Probation service budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have not yet been agreed. The National Offender Management Service is developing specifications for all services delivered by the national probation service to ensure that resources are matched to priorities and offender's needs.

Repossession Orders: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) immediate and  (b) suspended orders for possession have been made in mortgage possession proceedings in Wrexham County Court in the last five years for which records are available.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the number of mortgage possession claims issued and the number of suspended and outright orders made in Wrexham county court since 2003. However, the statistics on orders made in 2007 are not available for this court. Estimates have been produced for 2007 for Wales as a whole and these are shown in the table.
	Court level statistics on mortgage and landlord repossession actions from 1987 to 2007 are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mortgagelandlord possession.htm
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. As county courts' jurisdictions are not coterminous with the borough boundaries, any single court's repossession actions are likely to relate to homes in a number of different boroughs.
	
		
			  Mortgage( 1)  possession claims issued and orders made in Wrexham county court and the county courts of Wales, 2003-07 
			   Wrexham county court  Wales region 
			   Claims issued  Suspended orders( 2)  Outright orders( 3)  Claims issued  Suspended orders( 2)  Outright orders( 3) 
			 2003 139 57 32 4,193 1,729 1,099 
			 2004 186 54 60 4,314 1,527 1,120 
			 2005 236 92 78 6,469 2,156 1,789 
			 2006 301 118 106 8,207 2,700 2,736 
			 2007(4) 362 — — 9,187 (4)2,991 (4)3,208 
			 (1) Mortgage possession data include all types of lenders whether local authority or private.  (2) The court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually requires the defendant to pay the current mortgage instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced.  (3) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.  (4) The rollout of the Possession Claim On-Line (PCOL) system in late 2006 has affected the availability of court-level data on mortgage possession orders. As a result it is possible only to provide court-level figures for those courts with direct on-site PCOL access for 2007. Wrexham does not have this access and therefore the required court level data are not available. Estimated figures for Wales as a whole are shown instead.   Source:  Ministry of Justice.

Voting Behaviour

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget has been established for the planned citizens' summit on weekend voting.

Michael Wills: We are currently considering the budgeting and procurement of the citizens' summit to consider issues around election day and how best to provide value for money.

Voting Behaviour

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 9-11WS, on the consultation on weekend voting, whether he plans to pilot or introduce weekend voting in the 2009 European or local elections.

Michael Wills: No. The 'Election Day: Weekend Voting' consultation ended on 26 September. Analysis of the responses received is now under way. The evidence gathered will be used to inform the debate on the merits of moving polling day to the weekends. The Government do not consider that it would be practicable to bring in the legislation necessary to introduce weekend voting for the 2009 European or local elections.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street: Shops

Philip Davies: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the most popular item purchased from the Downing Street gift shop was in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much profit has been made by the Downing Street gift shop in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: A small selection of unsubsidised gifts are available for staff to purchase on a not-for-profit basis.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Davies: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many secretarial staff have  (a) left and  (b) joined his Office since 27 June 2007;
	(2)  how many full-time members of staff are employed in Number 10 Downing Street.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 1 May 2008,  Official Report, column 624W.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day he has answered on the due date in the current Session of Parliament to date.

Gordon Brown: My Office aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days, and named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.
	Since the start of the current parliamentary Session 96 per cent. of named day questions were answered on the day named.

Lehman Brothers

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings he has held with representatives of senior management of Lehman Brothers in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

Lord Mandelson: Pay

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how much has been paid to Lord Mandelson as a consequence of his leaving ministerial offices; if he will bring forward proposals for a mechanism by which former ministers re-appointed to the cabinet could make voluntary repayments of severance monies; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Severance pay is payable in accordance with section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.

Meetings

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings have been held between officials in 10 Downing Street and representatives of  (a) Ogilvy UK and  (b) WPP since 27 June 2007.

Gordon Brown: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

Ministers

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister which former Cabinet Ministers registered  (a) directorships and  (b) employment with the Cabinet Secretary after leaving office in the last 20 years; and in respect of which companies the registration was made in each case.

Gordon Brown: The requirements placed on Ministers after leaving office are set out in the Ministerial Code and its predecessor document Questions of Procedure for Ministers. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Ministers: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister how many Ministers do not receive a ministerial salary; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of maintaining their  (a) private office,  (b) staff,  (c) driver and  (d) car.

Gordon Brown: I refer my right hon. Friend to the ministerial appointments press notices released by my Office. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and are also available on the No 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-notices.

National Economic Council

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister in what capacity the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform attended the first meeting of the National Economic Council on 6 October; and if he will publish the full minutes of each meeting of the Council on his departmental website and that of HM Treasury.

Gordon Brown: The National Economic Council meets in private. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is a member.

Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary about the provision of Prime Ministerial accommodation and its implications for claims against the additional costs allowance.

Gordon Brown: The additional cost allowance is a matter for the House Authorities.

Security and Intelligence Committee: Manpower

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 883W, on the Security and Intelligence Committee: manpower, what the reasons are for not naming the Clerk of the Intelligence and Security Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 883W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to question 220182, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Gordon Brown: I replied to the hon. Member on 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 796W.

Written Statements

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1806W, on written statements, if he will take steps to ensure that information is ready for publication other than on the days immediately prior to a parliamentary recess.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1806W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of debt of those committed to prison for non-payment of child maintenance payment debts in each year since 2002-03 was; and how many people were in this category in each year.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Child Support

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases in Sunderland are being processed as clerical cases arising from  (a) pre-2003 and  (b) post-2003 legislative changes.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Child Support

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) written complaints and  (b) telephone complaints from Child Support Agency customers based in the Sunderland area there were in each year since 2003; and how many of these did not receive (i) acknowledgement within two working days and (ii) an outcome or progress report within 15 working days.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Council Tax Benefits: Scotland

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much subsidy for the provision of council tax benefit was provided to each local authority in Scotland in the latest year for which figures are available.

James Purnell: Local authorities in Scotland claim subsidy directly from the Department for Work and Pensions for council tax benefit they award to eligible claimants.
	The latest available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Council tax benefit subsidy claimed( 1)  by Scottish local authorities in 2007-08 
			  Local authority  Subsidy claimed (£ million) 
			 Aberdeen 11 
			 Aberdeenshire 8 
			 Angus 6 
			 Argyll and Bute 6 
			 Clackmannanshire 3 
			 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 2 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 9 
			 Dundee 13 
			 East Ayrshire 9 
			 East Dunbartonshire 5 
			 East Lothian 5 
			 East Renfrewshire 4 
			 Edinburgh 29 
			 Falkirk 8 
			 Fife 21 
			 Glasgow 72 
			 Highland 12 
			 Inverclyde 7 
			 Midlothian 5 
			 Moray 4 
			 North Ayrshire 11 
			 North Lanarkshire 24 
			 Orkney 1 
			 Perth and Kinross 6 
			 Renfrewshire 13 
			 Scottish Borders 5 
			 Shetland 1 
			 South Ayrshire 8 
			 South Lanarkshire 21 
			 Stirling 5 
			 West Dunbartonshire 10 
			 West Lothian 9 
			   
			 Total 353 
			 (1) Figures are from the unaudited subsidy claims submitted to DWP by Scottish local authorities and are therefore subject to change.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

James Purnell: Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

Disability Living Allowance

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to make a decision on the payment of disability living allowance to UK citizens currently living in EEA countries in the light of the recent court decision on the matter.

James Purnell: People who are already receiving disability living allowance when they leave the UK to live in another European economic area state or in Switzerland can often continue to receive the allowance. The rules are set out on the Directgov website. The Pensions Disability and Carers' Service has considered about 500 claims and confirmed that these customers will continue to receive disability living allowance. We are considering the implications of the European Court's decision for people who are UK citizens but who live in another European economic area state or in Switzerland and who wish to claim disability living allowance. We will publish the criteria for awarding the allowance on the Directgov website as soon as possible.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons claimed the mobility component of disability living allowance in each year since its introduction, broken down by type of disability; and how much was paid to claimants with each disability type in each year at the  (a) higher and  (b) lower rate.

Mike O'Brien: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Income Support: Disabled

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of awards of income support on grounds of incapacity for work had a duration of  (a) less than 13 weeks,  (b) between 13 weeks and 28 weeks,  (c) between 28 weeks and one year,  (d) between one and two years,  (e) between two and three years and  (f) more than three years in the most recent period for which figures are available.

James Purnell: The available information is in the table:
	
		
			  Proportion of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claims where recipient is also receiving income support by duration of income support award 
			  Percentage 
			   Less than  13 weeks  Between 13 weeks and 28 weeks  Between  28 weeks and one year  Between one and two years  Between two and three years  Three years  and over 
			 May 2007 5.7 5.1 6.4 9.7 8 65.1 
			 August 2007 6.1 5.2 6.1 9.7 7.9 64.9 
			 November 2007 6.2 5.4 6.0 9.8 7.9 64.7 
			 February 2008 5.5 5.7 6.3 10.0 7.7 64.8 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 2. Durations refer to the latest income support award. Claimants may not have been getting incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance for the whole duration of their income support award as repeat claims are not linked. 3. Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance is taken fully into account when working out how much of the applicable amount of income support can be paid.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS

Maternity Benefits: Telephone Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many complaints he has received about the operation of the maternity allowance telephone line in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to improve its operation;
	(2)  what plans he has to reduce the time taken to make a first maternity allowance payment from the time of an application being submitted;
	(3)  what plans he has to reduce the backlog of maternity allowance applications and to speed up the process for future applications;
	(4)  what measures are in place to assist expectant mothers with the processing of maternity allowance payments.

Jonathan R Shaw: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions on the processing of Maternity Allowance applications. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We started to centralise the administration of Maternity Allowance claims in December 2007 and migration completed in August 2008 into four central units throughout the country at Yeovil, Wrexham, Hanley and Bury St Edmunds Benefit Delivery Centres.
	Clearance times for Maternity Allowance had increased slightly over the summer months resulting in a backlog of 7000 cases awaiting action. This is as a result of an increase in births leading to an increase in Maternity Allowance applications by a fifth. This increase coincided with centralisation into the four units and a temporary dip in productivity associated with retraining existing members of staff.
	We are responding to these difficulties by increasing the staffing in the centralised sites by a fifth, so they can cope with the increase in new applications. The 7000 backlog cases are being dealt with separately by sharing the cases across our wider network of Benefit Delivery Centres. We are making progress now on clearing these cases. Over the last 5 weeks record numbers of claims were cleared, by over 1,000 more than the weekly intake. The backlog has now reduced to 2000 cases. We expect to have fully cleared the backlog within the next two weeks.
	Statistics relating to complaints about Maternity Allowance are not separately available.

Pensions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the unfunded pension liability for  (a) 2010,  (b) 2020 and  (c) 2030.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not produce figures for overall public service pension liabilities in future years. Page 38 of the Long Term Public Finance Report published on 12 March 2008 has further details of the total unfunded public service pension liabilities.

Pensions: Mining

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost to his Department of disregarding pensions payable to former miners for the purpose of benefit entitlement calculations.

Rosie Winterton: Miners' pensions are treated in the same way as other occupational pensions in the calculation of benefit entitlement. The information necessary to estimate the cost of changing current benefit rules to fully disregard miners' pensions is not available.

Rent Service

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the consequences of the decision of the House of Lords in R (on the application of Heffernan) v the Rent Service [2008] UKHL 58 on the Rent Service's approach to the determination of broad market rental areas; what action he plans to take following that decision; and if he will make a statement;

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Rent Service to complete its review of procedures resulting from the Heffernan judgment.

James Purnell: holding answer 8 October 2008
	Following the judgment in the case of R (on the application of Heffernan)  v. The Rent Service, The Rent Service have revised their guidance to rent officers on the setting of locality boundaries. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Rent Service are working closely together to consider the wider implications of the judgment. The Rent Service aims to be in a position to provide details of their plans to recommence their rolling programme of reviews at the end of October 2008.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has  (a) undertaken,  (b) commissioned and  (c) evaluated on the effects of (i) increases in energy and food prices and (ii) the timetable for benefits uprating on those in receipt of benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: No specific research has been undertaken or commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions on the increases in energy and food prices or the timetable for benefit uprating. However, the Government continue to monitor the situation closely.
	The Chancellor announced in his Budget 2008 speech that for winter 2008-09 an additional payment will be made alongside the winter fuel payment. Households with a member aged 60 to 79 will receive an additional £50 and households with a member aged 80 or over will receive an additional £100.
	On 11 September 2008 the Government announced a new £1 billion package of measures to help people cut their energy bills. Measures on offer deliver significant energy savings including increased help with cavity wall and loft insulation. 11 million lower income and pensioner households are eligible for these free of charge. And for winter 2008-09 cold weather payments will increase in value from £8.50 to £25.00. Cold weather payments are made to vulnerable people in receipt of qualifying benefits, including pension credit, if there is a period of very cold weather in their area.
	In terms of benefit uprating, there is a statutory requirement to review all social security benefits each year and to increase certain benefits from April each year.
	The increases are calculated for most benefits using the annual inflation figure for the preceding September. This ensures that benefits keep their real value in broad terms. In order to complete all of the action necessary to ensure that the new social security benefit rates are put into payment in April of any year up-rating activity must commence in the previous year, which is why the inflation figure for September is used.

Unemployment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the details of the Labour Force Survey showing the number of economically inactive people who want to work and can work and who are not counted in the International Labour Organisation definition of unemployment.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the details of the Labour Force Survey showing the number of economically inactive people who want to work and can work and who are not counted in the ILO definition of unemployment. (226198)
	Estimates of economic activity and inactivity derived from the Labour Force Survey (LPS) follow the international convention as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO). This does not require the LFS to record specifically whether people can or cannot work and, consequently, estimates on this precise basis are not available.
	According to the LFS, people who are economically inactive are neither in employment nor unemployed and can be further categorised as follows:
	1. those who have been looking for work in the past four weeks but are unable to start work within the next two weeks;
	2. those who have not been looking for work in the past four weeks but would like to have a regular paid job; and
	3. those who have not been looking for work in the past four weeks and who would not like to have a regular paid job.
	This applies to all people aged 16 to 69. Economically inactive people aged 70 and over who were not looking for work are not asked if they would like a regular paid job and are therefore included in the third category.
	Estimates for all three categories are provided in the attached table and are for the three month period April to June 2008, the latest available. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of people economically inactive aged 16 and over, by main category of economic inactivit y—T hree month period April to June 2008, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Category of economic inactivity ( 1) Number  (Thousand) 
			 Looking for work in past four weeks but unable to start work within next two weeks **284 
			 Not looking for work in past four weeks but would like to have regular paid job *2,089 
			 Not looking for work in past four weeks and would not like to have regular paid job *15,563 
			 Total economically inactive *17,937 
			 (1 )Coefficients of variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See following Guide to Quality.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key  Coefficient of Variation (CV)  (%) Statistical robustness * 0 < CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 < CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 < CV<20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. It should be noted that the estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).  Source:  Labour Force Survey.

TRANSPORT

A12: Accidents

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have occurred on the A12 between junction 30 (Dedham) and junction 31 (East Bergholt), including accidents on the said junctions, in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents on the A12 between junctions 30 and 31 at Dedham and East Bergholt in 2003 to 2007 are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number of accidents 
			 2003 10 
			 2004 9 
			 2005 7 
			 2006 6 
			 2007 17

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the  (a) carbon dioxide and  (b) nitrogen oxide emissions output of each fleet model of aircraft which (i) uses and (ii) is expected within the next 10 years to use (A) Heathrow and (B) other designated airports.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The data are not readily available by aircraft type. However, the analysis underpinning the consultation on adding capacity at Heathrow used certification data on the emissions of oxides of nitrogen by aircraft type. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) hosts the databank of certification data for jet aircraft which is available at
	http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=702&pagetype=90
	Similar data was also estimated for aircraft fleets in various future scenarios at Heathrow. The results of this work can be viewed at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/heathrow consultation/
	Similarly CO2 emissions from aircraft, at fleet level, are addressed at section 6 of annex B of the above report. These are based on forecasts of UK air passenger demand and UK aviation CO2 emissions published by the DFT in November 2007. The document can be viewed at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/airpassdemandfullreport.pdf

Buses: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents involved buses in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There were 8,442 reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one bus or coach in Great Britain in 2007.
	These data are available in table 23 of 'Road Casualties Great Britain' at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/162259/162469/221412/221549/227755/rcgb2007.pdf
	Copies of this publication have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of cycle lanes have been introduced in the last five years; and at what cost.

Paul Clark: This information is no longer collected centrally by the Department as part of the drive to reduce our burden upon local authorities in respect of the information we request annually from them.
	However we do hold some historical data from earlier Local Transport Plan returns for the local transport authorities in England (outside London). The information is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Cycle lane (kilometre)  Cycle lane (number) 
			 2001-02 405 352 
			 2002-03 369 416 
			 2003-04 386 424 
			 2004-05 308 375 
			 2005-06 234 267 
			 2006-07(1) 140 253 
			 1 Estimated.  Source: Data taken from LA Local Transport Plan finance forms for: 2004-05; 2005-06; 2006-07; 2007-08; 2008-09; 2008-09 (received July 2007). 
		
	
	We do not hold any data on the cost to local authorities of introducing cycle lanes. Local authorities have indicated in their local transport plans that they planned to spend around £60 million on cycle facilities in 2006-07.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) her Department and  (b) the Executive agencies for which she is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in her (i) Department and (ii) executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 651-57W.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Personal Records

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances of the loss of personal documents have been recorded by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of cases in which personal documents were claimed to be lost during an exchange with DVLA in each of the last five years were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 4,021 
			 2004 4,240 
			 2005 3,242 
			 2006 2,242 
			 2007 2,782 
		
	
	Of these, the following numbers of claims were subsequently abandoned because the documents were either delivered late by Royal Mail or were subsequently found at home:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 2,584 
			 2004 1,603 
			 2005 1,615 
			 2006 1,100 
			 2007 880 
		
	
	To provide context, in the last financial year DVLA issued 7,285,931 driving licences.

Driving: Sleep Apnoea

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many road deaths obstructive sleep apnoea was a contributory factor in the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on the number of fatalities resulting from reported road accidents caused by drivers with specific medical conditions is not collected.
	The number of fatalities resulting from reported road accidents in Great Britain for which a police officer attended the scene and recorded the contributory factor 'Fatigue' was 87 in 2005, 78 in 2006 and 92 in 2007. Information on contributory factors is not available prior to 2005.
	The contributory factor 'Fatigue' is recorded in accidents in which the police officer's opinion at the time of reporting is that the driver/rider was unable to drive effectively or perceive hazards due to being too tired. This may or may not be due to a medical illness.

Driving: Sleep Apnoea

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are procedures in place to provide regular screening of lorry drivers for obstructive sleep apnoea.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Drivers applying for a Group 2 licence (lorries and buses) must declare if they have a history of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). In addition, the medical report form D4, which has to accompany the application must be completed by a doctor and includes a specific question on sleep disorders. These forms have to be completed on licence reapplication every five years from the age of 45 until 65, and annually thereafter.
	There are no procedures in place to provide regular screening of lorry drivers for undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea. However, to ensure sleep disorders are identified, DVLA includes relevant questions in the medical report that applicants for a vocational licence must have completed by a qualified medical practitioner.
	The agency's publication 'At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive' provides advice to medical practitioners and includes a section on sleep disorders making specific mention of sleep apnoea. The guide is freely available on DVLA's website at:
	www.dvla.gov.uk

Heathrow Airport

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a decision has been taken by the Government to proceed with a third runway at Heathrow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As the Secretary of State made clear in a written statement on 8 July 2008,  Official Report, column 75WS, the analysis of the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation responses and updating of the impact assessment is not yet complete. We are aiming to reach conclusions later this year and will inform Parliament of our decisions.

London to Midlands Railway Line

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government has taken to improve railway services between Coventry and  (a) London and  (b) Birmingham.

Paul Clark: The introduction of new timetables from December 2008, on the West Coast Main Line, will bring further improvements to train services between Coventry, Birmingham and London.
	The Virgin Trains Pendolino operated London service will increase from a half hourly frequency, to one every 20 minutes. This will be provided throughout the week. The journey time will be one hour, compared with one hour 11 minutes in 2004, before the first stages of modernising the route were implemented.
	The service provided between Coventry and Birmingham by London Midland is being increased to three trains an hour. Additional new rolling stock is also being introduced by this operator, of similar design to the modern Desiro units already in operation on the semi fast services between Birmingham, Coventry and Northampton.

London Underground

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Mayor of London and  (b) Transport for London over future funding of the London Underground; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The then Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) made a written statement to the House on the future funding of London transport as a whole on 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 74-75WS, the position of which remains unchanged. Departmental officials continue to hold regular meetings with Transport for London (TfL) to monitor spending and pressures across the TfL estate, including London Underground.

Lorries: Lighting

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to distribute Fresnel lenses free of charge to drivers of left-hand drive heavy goods vehicles entering the UK.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have already done so. We handed out 40,000 lenses at ports of entry in November 2006; a further 90,000 over the winter months in 2007; and, we are in the middle of handing out a further 60,000 at the moment.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to  (a) increase access to and  (b) improve the performance of the facilities available for online renewals of vehicle licence fees.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DVLA's electronic vehicle re-licensing (EVL) and statutory off road notification (SORN) service is not experiencing any performance issues, is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and takes less than four minutes to re-license a vehicle.

Motor Vehicles: Taxation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely effects of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's free prize draw for online customers on the number of people who renew their vehicle tax at their local post office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Post Office Ltd. has, through regular discussions, been made fully aware of DVLA plans for electronic vehicle licensing and the volumes forecast to continue transacting through post office branches.
	There was no separate impact assessment ahead of the prize draw as this had already been built into the transaction forecasts and shared with Post Office Ltd. This information has been incorporated into Post Office Ltd.'s plans for their branch network through to 2011. There has been no reduction in the number of post office branches issuing tax discs for DVLA.

Public Transport: Disabled

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to respond to concerns expressed by disabled public transport passengers.

Paul Clark: We are committed to providing an accessible transport system. We have regulated to ensure that all new trains, buses and coaches are accessible to disabled people. We made provision in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to extend the "right of access" disabled people already have to other services to transport and to introduce other measures to improve accessibility.
	New regulations which came into force on 4 December 2006 gave disabled people a 'right of access' to goods, services and facilities with respect to transport services. These duties make it unlawful for a transport operator to discriminate against a disabled person imply because they are disabled, treat disabled people less favourably or fail to make a reasonable adjustment to the way they provide their services.

Railway Stations: Greater London

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the allocation of funds to enhance passenger facilities at James Street and Liverpool Central stations.

Paul Clark: holding answer 6 October 2008
	In its draft determination of the outputs that Network Rail should be funded to deliver in the period 2009-14, the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) decided that there was not at present a sufficient case to include the James Street and Liverpool Central schemes. In its response to the ORR's consultation on its draft determination, which closed on 4 September, Network Rail accepted this independent view. The ORR's final determination is expected on 30 October.
	Liverpool Central station has however been identified by the industry as a candidate station for funding from the National Stations Improvement Programme. The final selection of stations will be influenced, among other things, by the extent to which third party funding—from local authorities and the private sector—is secured to supplement the industry's own proposals.

Railways: Infrastructure

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is on encouraging separation of train and station operations from infrastructure maintenance and renewals.

Paul Clark: It is generally accepted that the structures put in place at privatisation were flawed. The 2004 Rail White Paper and the Railways Act 2005 set out a new streamlined structure, which meets the requirements of the European Commission's First Rail Package, to deliver safer, more reliable railways that work efficiently. The new arrangements provide much-needed stability for the industry as a whole.

Road Traffic

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to business of traffic congestion; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: This cost is not routinely estimated by the Department. However, in 2006, the independent Eddington Study, which was sponsored by the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, did present forecasts of costs to business of congestion. The report noted that by 2025, congestion on England's roads, if unchecked, will increase costs to business and freight by over £10 billion a year.
	The full study is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/transportstrategy/eddingtonstudy/

Roads: Safety Measures

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has given to local authorities which wish to introduced shared spaces on how to integrate this with safe access for those with disabilities.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has not issued guidance to local authorities on the general topic of shared space. However, it has provided advice on shared surface schemes, a particular type of shared space known to cause difficulties for some people with disabilities.
	This advice is contained in the Manual for Streets published in March 2007. It states that
	"Consultation with the community and users, particularly with disability groups and access officers, is essential when any shared surface scheme is developed.".

Sea Rescue: Lancashire

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many calls to HM Coastguard were made by residents of Lancashire in each year since 2000.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is not collected in the format requested.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, based at Liverpool has dealt with the following number of incidents in each year since 2000.
	
		
			   Number of incidents 
			 2000 844 
			 2001 751 
			 2002 772 
			 2003 825 
			 2004 845 
			 2005 992 
			 2006 1,006 
			 2007 (1)— 
			 (1) Not available because of industrial action.

Shipping: Pay

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) the recruitment and  (b) the retention of British maritime professionals of the decision by HM Revenue and Customs to review the guidance on the vessels that do not qualify under the Seafarers' Earnings Deduction income tax rules.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. I am of course concerned about any changes which may affect employment prospects for UK seafarers. However, taxation policy is a matter for Treasury Ministers.

Shipping: Pay

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the reclassification of seafarers' earnings deduction on the recruitment and retention of British seafarers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. I refer to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) today (UIN 225630).

Tolls: Humber Bridge

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the level of toll charges on the Humber Bridge.

Paul Clark: The Humber Bridge Board has recently put forward a proposal to raise tolls under Section 10 of the Humber Bridge Act 1971. The Board have undertaken a consultation giving the opportunity for anyone to register objections with the Department for Transport. The deadline for objections was 6 October. The Secretary of State must now decide, in line with the relevant legislation, whether to order a public inquiry before considering a decision on Humber Bridge Board's application.

Tour Operators: Insolvency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  for what reason his Department was not able to grant the necessary indemnities to allow the fleet operated by XL Airways to be used to repatriate customers stranded overseas by the entry into administration of the associated tour operator; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the travel industry,  (b) the aviation industry and  (c) consumer representative organisations on protection for all pre-payments made in respect of travel arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), worked with the administrators to try to develop a contingency measure that would allow XL's aircraft to fly their customers home. However, in the short time available it was not possible to reach a solution which did not involve an unacceptable level of risk to taxpayers' money. This is a complex area because of the range of potential creditors and liabilities in the UK and abroad when an airline goes into administration.
	In 2005 the Government decided not to extend statutory financial protection for air travellers beyond the current Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL) arrangements, which apply to package holidays, in accordance with European law.
	The Government are keen to learn the lessons of, XL's failure and over the coming weeks officials and Ministers will be discussing a range of issues arising with stakeholders with a view to improving the experience of passengers in possible future airline or tour operator failures.

Tour Operators: Licensing

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent consideration he has given to the licensing of tour operators; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the financial effect on consumers resulting from the entry into administration of XL Airways; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The European package travel directive came into effect in 1990, and requires the financial protection of passengers on package holidays, so that in the event of insolvency they are reimbursed advance payments or repatriated. This was implemented in the UK by the Package Travel Regulations 1992. Anyone who (other than occasionally) sells or offers for sale package holidays must comply with these regulations. Where a flight is part of the package, the financial protection requirements of the Package Travel Regulations are provided by the Air Travel. Organiser's Licence (ATOL) scheme operated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
	Those of XL's passengers who were on, or who had booked, a package holiday will be fully protected against any additional financial cost through the ATOL scheme. Passengers whose travel arrangements were not part of a package holiday may face additional costs, to the extent that they are not protected through credit card arrangements or scheduled airline failure cover which can be part of some travel insurance policies.
	The Government are keen to learn the lessons of XL's failure and over the coming weeks officials and Ministers will be discussing a range of issues arising with stakeholders with a view to improving the experience of passengers in possible future airline or tour operator failures.

Traffic Lights: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have been caused by failed traffic lights in the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of personal injury accidents in Great Britain for which a police officer attended the scene and recorded the contributory factor 'defective traffic signal' was 268 in 2005, 259 in 2006 and 256 in 2007. Information on contributory factors is not available prior to 2005.
	The defective traffic signal factor is recorded in accidents in which the police officer's opinion at the time of reporting is that a totally or partially defective automatic traffic signal contributed to the accident.

Transport: Environment Protection

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the National Transport Model Team  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take on climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The National Transport Model estimates the impacts of transport policy on traffic and the associated carbon dioxide emissions. A number of analyses have been published providing the details of such work. Recent examples are:
	Advanced motorway signalling and traffic management feasibility study, DFT, March 2008
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/network/policy/mtorsigntraf management/advancemotorsign
	The Eddington Study annex: Transport Demand to 2025 and the Economic Case for Road Pricing and Investment, December 2006
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/transportstrategy/eddingtonstudy/researchannexes/researchannexesvolume3/transportdemand
	Road Transport Forecasts for England 2007, October 2007
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/071023_Annual Forecast07.pdf
	We are planning to publish an update of the Road Transport Forecasts for England later this year.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced on average each day by public transport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides estimates of carbon dioxide emissions for buses, domestic aviation and railways. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) is published annually by DEFRA and provides estimates of CO2 by transport mode, these annual figures for 2006 have been divided by 365 to give a daily rate.
	
		
			  Estimates of average C O 2  emissions per day in 2006, UK 
			   Average C O 2  emissions per day (tonnes) 
			 Buses 13,419 
			 Domestic aviation 6,398 
			 Railways (diesel trains only) 3,487 
			  Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory 2006

Transport: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role regional development agencies will play in the allocation of transport block funds currently allocated directly to local councils.

Paul Clark: Transport block funds are allocated to local authorities by the Department for Transport. However, the Government have sought advice from regions on their priorities for the allocation of a number of funding streams, including block grant. The guidance provided by the Government stresses that the advice should represent that of the whole region, and that regional development agencies, regional assemblies, leaders' forums (where they have been established) and local government will all have a key role to play in developing it. Final decisions on how block funds should be distributed remain with Ministers.

Transport: Schools

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving public service vehicles and minibuses carrying school children there were in each region in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one school pupil casualty on their way to or from school on a public service vehicle or minibus in each Government office region in 2003 to 2007 are given in the table.
	
		
			  Government office region  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 7 13 11 4 9 
			 North West 35 38 27 31 19 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 15 22 16 16 8 
			 East Midlands 19 21 16 11 10 
			 West Midlands 11 20 6 10 13 
			 East of England 18 13 14 9 13 
			 South East 25 23 28 22 22 
			 London 42 34 22 22 23 
			 South West 9 13 13 13 6 
			 Wales 18 15 17 12 11 
			 Scotland 20 13 21 18 11 
			 Great Britain 219 225 191 168 145 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify the number of accidents involving vehicles carrying school pupils where there was no school pupil casualty.

Transport: Schools

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving public service vehicles and minibuses carrying school children there were in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one school pupil casualty on their way to or from school on a public service vehicle or minibus in Scotland and Wales in 2003 to 2007 are given in the table.
	
		
			   Wales  Scotland 
			 2003 18 20 
			 2004 15 13 
			 2005 17 21 
			 2006 12 18 
			 2007 11 11 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify the number of accidents involving vehicles carrying school pupils where there was no school pupil casualty. The Department does not hold road accident data for Northern Ireland. This is the responsibility of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Tyne and Wear Metro

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish business cases submitted by the Nexus PTE in the last two years in respect of the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Paul Clark: Nexus (the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) has submitted two business cases to the Department for Transport in the last two years in respect of the Tyne and Wear Metro.
	The Metro Reinvigoration Business Case was submitted to the Department in January 2007. This document is on Nexus' website at:
	http://www.nexus.org.uk/wps/wcm/resources/file/eb1bd00c5571bc6/MetroReInvigoration BusinessCaseFinal110307.pdf
	with appendices at:
	http://www.nexus.org.uk/wps/wcm/resources/file/eb1bd10 c55796e2/Appendices140207.pdf
	The Business Case for the Ticketing and Gating Scheme was submitted in March 2007. This is available on Nexus' website at:
	http://www.nexus.org.uk/wps/wcm/resources/file/eb7cb04 aedbf98e/Metro.pdf

Tyne and Wear Metro

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made in respect of value for money for the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro in respect of  (a) keeping the Metro as an integrated railway and  (b) separating train and station operations from infrastructure maintenance and renewals.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport believes that the funding it intends to provide for the renewal of major capital assets on the Tyne and Wear Metro represents value for money as a capital investment. The Department believes that this value for money is most likely to be secured by retaining the capital infrastructure of the system within public ownership and under the direct control of Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. However the Department believes that a market test, such as Nexus are intending to undertake, for the running of train services and station operations, should provide an effective way to secure best value for money in the ongoing operation of the system.

Tyne and Wear Metro

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether tendering of Tyne and Wear Metro operations is a condition of future funding.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport announced, on 31 July 2008, its intention to provide funding to Nexus (the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) to support a programme of asset renewal on the Tyne and Wear Metro and the continued operation of the system until 2019.
	The funding was approved on the basis of Nexus' procurement plans, which involved a proposal to tender for the operation of the system. Final approval of the funding will be considered only once the tender process has been completed to the Department's satisfaction.

Vehicle Number Plates

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been raised by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency from the sale and auction of registration marks in each of the last four years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: During the last four financial years the income raised from the sale and auction of registration marks has been disclosed in the agency's accounts as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial. year  Gross income  Costs  Net income to Treasury 
			 2007-08 86,948 (14,353) 72,595 
			 2006-07 87,427 (13,143) 74,284 
			 2005-06 83,986 (12,192) 71,794 
			 2004-05 83,438 (11,799) 71,639

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many UK troops were wounded in Afghanistan in each month of operations in the last two years;
	(2)  how many injuries in each category were suffered by UK forces in Afghanistan in each month of operations in the last two years.

Kevan Jones: Since January 2006 a total of 138 UK service personnel have been seriously injured or wounded and 470 have been admitted to field hospital as wounded in action in Afghanistan. A further 1,289 were admitted to a field hospital with disease or non-battle injuries over the same period. The following table provides a breakdown by year and month of these figures.
	
		
			  Number of UK troops wounded in Afghanistan( 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) — 1 January 2006 to 15 September 2008 
			Casualties (excluding natural causes)( 8)  Field hospital admissions( 9) 
			   Month  Total  Very seriously injured or wounded  Seriously injured or wounded  Total  Wounded in action  Disease or non battle injury 
			 2006 Total 31 18 13 240 85 155 
			  January 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  February 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  March 0 0 0 6 0 6 
			  April 3 2 1 18 7 11 
			  May 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			  June 4 1 3 33 18 15 
			  July 3 1 2 19 12 7 
			  August 4 4 0 9 4 5 
			  September 10 7 3 37 29 8 
			  October 3 1 2 14 4 10 
			  November 2 1 1 72 3 69 
			  December 2 1 1 31 8 23 
			 
			 2007 Total 63 23 40 820 233 587 
			  January 0 0 0 42 11 31 
			  February 3 1 2 29 12 17 
			  March 1 0 1 46 14 32 
			  April 2 1 1 132 13 119 
			  May 14 5 9 87 38 49 
			  June 6 2 4 72 29 43 
			  July 5 2 3 96 20 76 
			  August 7 3 4 75 22 53 
			  September 8 5 3 76 26 50 
			  October 3 0 3 53 8 45 
			  November 10 3 7 73 29 44 
			  December 4 1 3 39 11 28 
			 
			 2008 Total (to date) 44 16 28 699 152 547 
			  January 7 0 7 42 11 31 
			  February 6 3 3 61 9 52 
			  March 8 4 4 54 8 46 
			  April 3 0 3 107 9 98 
			  May 3 2 1 115 14 101 
			  June 3 0 ¦ 3 80 10 70 
			  July 7 3 4 102 43 59 
			  August 4 2 2 92 30 62 
			  1 to 15 September 3 2 1 46 18 28 
			 (1) These data are provisional and subject to change. (2) The admissions data contain UK personnel admitted to any field hospital, whether operated by UK or Coalition Medical Facilities. (3) The personnel listed as VSI or SI may also appear in the UK field hospital admissions and Aeromed Evacuations data. (4) The 2006 disease or non battle injury figures are non battle injuries only until 27 October, disease is included from 28 October to be consistent with Op Telic reporting. (5) 2006 field hospital admissions data starts 1 March 2006. (6) The VSI and SI injury data includes records classified as 'other causes'. This classification is used when there is insufficient information to attribute a casualty to injury or natural cause. (7) The 2006 data may include civilians, service numbers were not provided until the end of 2006. (8) Source: NOTICAS (9) Source: UK and Coalition Medical Facilities 
		
	
	Casualty statistics for UK military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan are routinely updated each fortnight on the MOD website. The tables can be found at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Operations Factsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanBritishCasualties.htm

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enemy combatants were killed by UK troops in Afghanistan in each month of operations in the last two years.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 6 May 2008,  Official Report, column 832W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).

Armed Forces: Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicewomen requested an abortion in each of the last three years, broken down by  (a) the age of the woman,  (b) the grounds for the abortion,  (c) the number of weeks of gestation at which the request was made,  (d) the procedures used and  (e) whether the operation was performed.

Kevan Jones: These figures are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Alcoholic Drinks

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) Army,  (b) Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force alcohol strategies; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Officials are preparing a joint service publication which will incorporate the MOD's alcohol strategy. It is expected to be published by the end of this year. I will place a copy of the alcohol strategy element in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Career Breaks

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM Armed Forces have availed themselves of the scheme enabling them to have a career break; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 9 October 2008
	Members of the armed forces have been able to apply to take a career break since 31 May 2005. Career breaks for service personnel are granted at the absolute discretion of the service, when manning margins allow and where they do not compromise operational capability. In that time, the number of career breaks taken has been: Royal Navy, 19 (figures only available from March 2006); Army, 45; and Royal Air Force, 35.

Armed Forces: Casualties

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on measures to prevent blue on blue engagements by armed forces units.

John Hutton: The MOD has a Combat Identification programme to improve its capability in this area and is working with NATO working groups and Coalition allies to develop interoperable solutions. Recent progress has included equipment procured for operations in response to specific theatre requirements, such as an improved aircraft targeting pod capability and improved forward air controller equipment, as well as further developing combat ID awareness and pre-deployment training. Further information can be found on page 103 of the MOD annual report and accounts 2007-08 at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports/MODAnnualReports0708/
	A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department have held discussions in the last four months with Essex County Council about possible involvement by his Department or Colchester Garrison in the future of secondary school education in Colchester; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: There have been no discussions in the last four months between the Ministry of Defence and Essex county council concerning the future of secondary school education in Colchester.

Armed Forces: Education

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sources of funding there are for further and higher education payments to be made to service personnel as outlined in the Service Personnel Command Paper; and whether these payments will cover living costs.

Kevan Jones: Funding to meet this commitment comprises that already allocated as employer contributions to the Armed Forces Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) scheme supplemented by resources made available by DIUS and the Scottish and Welsh administrations.
	The commitment in the Service Personnel Command Paper (Cm 7424) applies to tuition fees. Additional living or other expenses incurred by service leavers in further or higher education are not covered, but a range of other support sources are available to help with non-tuition related costs where appropriate such as discretionary learner support funds for students in further education who need help with additional costs associated with their learning such as books, travel and child care.

Armed Forces: Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual  (a) operating and  (b) support costs are for one unit of  (a) an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 tanks,  (b) a formation reconnaissance regiment,  (c) an engineer regiment,  (d) a Royal Marine Commando battalion,  (e) a Regular Army equipment support battalion,  (f) a Royal Logistics Corps regiment and  (g) a (National Communications) Signal Brigade.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Mentally Ill

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were medically discharged for mental and behavioural disorders in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The number of service personnel medically discharged for mental and behavioural disorders in each year since 2001 is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Naval service, Army and RAF medical discharges for mental and behavioural disorders, numbers( 1) ,2001-07 
			   All years  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Naval service(2) 265 30 40 40 30 45 40 40 
			 Army 770 105 110 90 120 120 110 115 
			 RAF 290 20 15 30 65 40 80 50 
			 (1) Numbers may not add up to the sum of their parts due to rounding to the nearest 5. (2) Includes the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. 
		
	
	All numbers presented have been rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure of individual identities.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many out-of-court settlements there were regarding war pensions in each of the last five years; and what information his Department holds on the reasons for such settlements being made.

Kevan Jones: Details of the number of common law compensation claims brought against the MOD together with payments made and the basis for settling such claims is set out in the Department's claims annual report. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House for each year since it was first published in 1997-98. About 97 per cent. of such claims are settled one way or the other out of court. The 2007-08 report is scheduled to be published in the autumn and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	Details of compensation payments made under the War Pensions Scheme in respect of War Disablement Pensions in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  April to March each year  Cases qualifying for payment  Ex-gratia comp for delay  Ex-gratia actual financial loss  Loss of statutory entitlement  Ex-gratia consolatory payment 
			 2003-04 37 20 6 5 6 
			 2004-05 139 120 5 2 12 
			 2005-06 35 22 1 3 9 
			 2006-07 34 17 7 4 6 
			 2007-08 35 16 7 1 11 
			 Total 280 195 26 15 44

Armed Forces: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned on post-traumatic stress syndrome and related topics in order to facilitate the discharge of its duty of care for members of HM Armed Forces.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1581W, to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Richard Younger-Ross).

Armed Forces: Resignations

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) officers,  (b) non-commissioned officers or equivalent ranks and  (c) other ranks or equivalent left (i) the Royal Navy, (ii) the Royal Marines, (iii) the Army and (iv) the Royal Air Force in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many from each of the above rank categories in each service were involuntarily discharged.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 8 October 2008
	The following table shows the number of trained officers, non-commissioned officers (NGOs) or equivalent ranks and other ranks or equivalent that left the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force Regular Forces(1) in each of the last five financial years.
	(1) UK Regular Forces exclude Gurkhas, Full -Time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists.
	
		
			  All Outflow   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Royal Navy Total 2,890 2,960 2,680 2,650 (1)2,580 
			  Officers 350 380 400 (1)370 (1)410 
			  NCOs(2) 1,290 1,300 1,080 (1)1,080 (1)1,130 
			  Other Ranks(3) 1,250 1,280 1,200 1,190 (1)1,050 
			 Royal Marines Total 550 630 620 560 (1)540 
			  Officers 30 40 30 (1)30 (1)50 
			  NCOs(2) 200 220 230 (1)170(1) (1)180 
			  Other Ranks(3) 320 370 360 (1)350(1) (1)300 
			 Royal Air Force Total 3,460 3,270 4,340 4,740 (1)4,430 
			  Officers 580 640 670 800 (1)720 
			  NCOs(2) 1,560 1,390 2,010 2,590 (1)2,270 
			  Other Ranks(3) 1,320 1,240 1,660 1,350 (1)1,440 
			 Army Total 9,570 10,740 10,500 (1)10,930 (1)10,470(1) 
			  Officers 780 900 980 (1)1,110 (1)1,160 
			  NCOs(2) 4,420 5,090 5,450 (1)5,300 (1)5,360 
			  Other Ranks(3) 4,370 4,750 4,080 (1)4,520 (1)3,950 
			 (1) Provisional (2) Non-Commissioned Officers are Ratings at Leading Hand and above in the Royal Navy, Ratings at Lance Corporal and above in the Royal Marines, Soldiers at Lance Corporal and above in the Army and Airmen at Corporal and above in the Royal Air Force. ( 3) Other ranks have been classified as ratings of able rate in the Royal Navy, ratings at Marine in the Royal Marines, Private and Junior Soldiers in the Army and Junior Technician/Leading/Senior Aircraftsmen in the Royal Air Force.  Source:  DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of trained officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) or equivalent ranks and other ranks or equivalent that were involuntarily discharged(1) from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force Regular Forces(2) in each of the last five financial years.
	(1) Involuntarily discharged is defined as all types of outflow excluding voluntary outflow. Personnel who leave the armed forces voluntarily before the end of their agreed engagement or commission period are classed as voluntary outflow.
	(2) UK Regular Forces exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists.
	
		
			  Involuntarily Discharged   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Royal Navy Total 1,380 1,320 1,210 (1)1,070 930 
			  Officers 200 230 230 (1)180 (1)160 
			  NCOs(2) 750 670 530 (1)510 (1)450 
			  Other Ranks(3) 430 420 450 (1)380 (1)320 
			 Royal Marines Total 210 250 200 (1)170 150 
			  Officers 20 30 10 (1)10 (1)20 
			  NCOs(2) 120 120 90 (1)80 (1)80 
			  Other Ranks(3) 80 100 90 (1)80 (1)50 
			 Royal Air Force(4) Total 1,820 1,540 2,270 2,840 (1)2,500 
			  Officers 380 410 430 540 (1)460 
			  NCOs(2) 790 640 1,260 1,860 (1)1,460 
			  Other Ranks(3) 640 500 580 440 (1)580 
			 Army Total 4,570 5,330 5,300 n/a n/a 
			  Officers 280 370 390 n/a n/a 
			  NCOs 1,930 2,310 2,760 n/a n/a 
			  Other Ranks 2,360 2,640 2,150 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Provisional (2) Non-Commissioned Officers are ratings at Leading Hand and above in the Royal Navy, Ratings at Lance Corporal and above in the Royal Marines, Soldiers at Lance Corporal and above in the Army and Airmen at Corporal and above in the Royal Air Force. (3) Other ranks have been classified as ratings of able rate in the Royal Navy, ratings at Marine in the Royal Marines, Private and Junior Soldiers in the Army and Junior Technician/Leading/Senior Aircraftsmen in the Royal Air Force. (4) Due to the ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration System, Army reasons for exit, including voluntary outflow, are currently unavailable for financial years 2006-07 onwards.  Source:  DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, all Naval Service and Army flow statistics for financial year 2006-07 and 2007-08 and all RAF flow statistics for financial year 2007-08 are provisional and subject to review.
	Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Army: Crimes of Violence

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army employees have been charged with a violent offence in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cadets: Schools

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the creation of new combined cadet forces in secondary schools; how many have been created in the last three years; at what cost; what target has been set for the number of such forces to be created in the next five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of meeting this target.

Kevan Jones: The MOD's policy on the creation of new Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingents in schools is to do so where resources permit. This applies equally to any independent or state school seeking the creation of such a contingent.
	Eleven new CCF contingents have been formed in secondary schools in the last three years. This figure is skewed by the initiation of six state school pilot CCF contingents in 2007. This was a one-off project, set up with the assistance of the Treasury, at a cost of £800,000 (covering both equipment and infrastructure requirements). The set up costs at the remaining five schools varied due to the nature of their existing facilities and as such the costs are not held centrally and could be determined only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the schools gaining new CCF contingents since the start of the academic year 2005-06 are:
	
		
			  School  Independent/state  Date established  Comment 
			 Culford School, Bury St. Edmunds Independent 1 September 2005 — 
			 
			 Gad's Hill School Rochester Independent 13 December 2005 This opening was concurrent with the closure of a contingent at a neighbouring school—kit was transferred 
			 
			 Aidenham School Elstree, Herts Independent 1 April 2006 This CCF re-opened after being closed for 18 years 
			 
			 Archers Court Maths and Computing College, near Dover State 1 April 2007 The six "pilot" state school contingents opened with Treasury support 
			 Budmouth Technical College, Weymouth
			 Haberdashers' Federation, SE London
			 Thomas Deacon Academy, Peterborough
			 Treorchy Comprehensive School, Mid-Glamorgan, Wales
			 Walker Technical College, Newcastle
			 
			 Hartridge High School Newport, Mon., Wales State 1 October 2007 Cadets paraded for the first time September 2008 
			 
			 Lucton School, Leominster, Herefordshire Independent 1 September 2008 Converted to a closed ACF in the early 1990s. Now re-badged as CCF 
		
	
	It must be remembered that new CCF contingents are only one way to increase the numbers of cadet units in schools. As mentioned in the Service Personnel Command Paper, the MOD continues its work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families on increasing the number of cadet units in state schools and therefore no targets have been set for the number of CCF contingents to be created in the next five years.
	Currently, the only new CCF contingent is planned for Wellington Academy, Wiltshire. This CCF will start up in September 2011 and THE Capital works are being funded by the Department for Children Schools and Families in this instance.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparations his Department has made for the possible effects of climate change on the armed forces'  (a) estate,  (b) personnel,  (c) equipment capabilities and  (d) policies; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: A wide range of research (both general and defence specific) is already under way to help the Ministry of Defence understand better the possible impact on our estate, personnel, equipment and policies. This research will inform a risk-based approach to adapting to climate change across the Department.
	We plan to publish our strategy on climate change before the end of the year. This will address both mitigation (the reduction of our own emissions) and adaptation (how we will adapt to a changing climate) and set targets as far out as 2050. Specifically:
	 Estates
	MOD is developing a site based risk assessment methodology considering the environmental and physical factors associated with climate change likely to affect our core sites. This will allow us to identify and manage a proportionate response to the impacts of climate change on our estate.
	 Personnel
	Research has been commissioned to investigate the effects of extreme climate on the nutritional requirements of operational troops and consideration will be given to how future personal clothing and equipment can be adapted both to reduce degradation and also to contribute to the maintenance of optimum health.
	 Policy Planning
	MOD is conducting research with other Government Departments to assess the global impacts of climate change and how these will impact on Defence policy planning.
	 Equipment Capabilities
	The outputs from the policy planning work will be factored into our plans for force development, equipment capability and personnel to ensure that our armed forces are equipped for and capable of a range of different operations.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of climate change on international peace and stability; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The National Security Strategy describes climate change as potentially the greatest challenge to global stability and security; and paragraphs 3.34 to 3.37 of the strategy describe the potential effects. The Ministry of Defence shares that assessment.

Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has no central record of having purchased or made direct use of MOSAIC data or ACORN data. It is not possible to ascertain if data from these or similar tools has been used by external agencies or subcontractors working for this Department as it would be of a disproportionate cost to find out.

Departmental Buildings

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties owned by his Department are unused; and how long each such property has been unused.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its estate of around 240,000 hectares, which comprises some 80,000 of built estate and 160,000 of rural estate, under continual review to ensure that it is still required for defence purposes. Details of all MOD properties that are void (not in use for their intended purpose) and how long each has been void is not centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Some details of void living accommodation are held centrally. The following table shows that service family accommodation (SFA) in the UK which was void at 8 October 2008. The majority of these properties are owned by Annington Homes Ltd (AHL) and leased to the Department until it no longer has a use for them and they are returned to AHL.
	
		
			  Timescale  Number of SFA 
			 Under 3 months 3,539 
			 Between 3 months and 6 months 1,256 
			 Between 6 months and 12 months 1,524 
			 Between 1 year and 5 years 2,270 
			 Over 5 years 457 
			   
			 Total: 9,046 
		
	
	The majority of the SFA properties that have been void for the longest periods are those that are held pending large future redeployments of personnel, pending return to AHL or awaiting demolition, pending decisions on the future of MOD sites or where there is likely to be a long-term (rather than short-term) need for SFA in that area or pending major modernisation or upgrade work.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 9 October 2008
	It is MOD policy that all calls made by the general public to MOD civilian/military establishments covered by the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service contract should either be to a freephone number or be charged at local/national rates.

Ex-servicemen

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the categories of support his Department makes available to ex-service personnel; what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of such support; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Veterans Strategy has three main pillars, delivered in close partnership with other parts of Government and the Third Sector: these are high quality preparation for service leavers returning to civilian life; advice and support for those ex-service personnel who need it and the promotion of understanding and recognition of the role veterans play in society. Support takes many forms including the provision of occupational pensions and no-fault compensation, resettlement training, help with employment and accommodation, as well as welfare support and tailored health care for those areas where veterans have special needs.
	The needs of veterans and the provisions to meet these are kept under review in consultation across Government and with the charitable sector. Most recently, the Nation's Commitment outlined in the Service Personnel Command Paper of July 2008 reviewed areas of existing provision and set out the further enhancements that will be delivered in the support for service personnel, their families and veterans. These commitments will be assured by a reference group that will provide regular external and cross-Government audit, including an annual report to the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary.

Ex-servicemen

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were awarded a veteran's badge in each year since the inception of the award.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We have, however, identified that 146 individuals applying for the badge have included Jarrow in their address. Between May 2004 and 3 October 2008 over 661,000 HM armed forces veterans' badges have been issued.

Ex-servicemen

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of servicemen and women leaving the armed forces in each of the last five years for which figures are available had completed  (a) 22 years' service and  (b) fewer than five years' service.

Bob Ainsworth: The percentage of service personnel leaving the trained UK regular forces in each of the last five years by length of service is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-06 
			 All services  
			 Fewer than 5 years service 34 34 30 (1)29 (1)26 
			 5 to 21 years service 40 40 40 (1)43 (1)51 
			 22+ years service 27 26 30 (1)28 (1)23 
			 (1) Provisional. Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, all service flow statistics for financial year 2006-07 and 2007-08 are provisional and subject to review.  Notes: 1. Figures show outflow from UK regular forces including recalled reservists on release and outflow to the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment. The Royal Irish Regiment disbanded on 31 March 2008. 2. Percentages are calculated from unrounded data and may not sum to 100.

Helicopters: Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual running cost was of  (a) HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal,  (b) one Harrier GR9,  (c) HMS Albion,  (d) one Lynx Mk 8 helicopter,  (e) one Merlin Mk1 helicopter and  (f) one RFA support tanker in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held in the format requested. The annual running cost in 2007-08 for the surface ships identified, including depreciation and the cost of capital, was as follows:
	
		
			   Financial year 2007-08 (£ million) 
			 HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal (1)138 
			 HMS Albion 38 
			 RFA Wave Knight (support tanker) 16 
			 (1 )Total for the two ships. 
		
	
	Directly comparable figures for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are not available.
	The total cost per flying hour for the aircraft was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Harrier( 1)  Lynx( 2)  Merlin Mk1 
			 2005-06 36,000 16,000 (3)— 
			 2006-07 37,000 16,000 40,000 
			 2007-08 38,000 19,000 42,000 
			 (1 )The available data is not spilt between Harrier GR7 and GR9 (2 )The available data is not split between Lynx Mk3 and Lynx Mk8 (3 )Directly comparable figures for this year are not available

Peacekeeping Operations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals for national events to mark the bravery of UK personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kevan Jones: The enormous courage and bravery displayed by the men and women of the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan is recognised in many ways. For example, returning personnel are often involved in local homecoming parades which are widely reported in the media. At a national level, we recognise the contribution and the sacrifices made by the armed forces at events such as Remembrance Sunday. In addition, the announcement of the six monthly operational honours list of gallantry awards, mostly to those serving in these two operational theatres and who have undertaken acts of particular bravery, are given a high profile.
	It is usual for the end of significant operations to be marked in some way, and while we have no specific plans at present, this will be considered when the time is right in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sea Harrier FA2: Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual running costs were for one Sea Harrier FA2 in each of the last three years before it was withdrawn from service; and how much was spent on manning in each year.

Bob Ainsworth: Information is not available in the format requested. Operating costs for the Sea Harrier FA2 were calculated on an hourly basis only. These costs include both the fixed and marginal costs incurred in using the assets, comprising servicing costs, fuel costs, crew capitation and training costs, support costs and charges for capital and depreciation.
	The cost per funded flying hour for the Sea Harrier FA2 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total cost per funded flying  hour (£) 
			 2003-04 44,000 
			 2004-05 45,000 
			 2005-06 46,000 
		
	
	Manning costs are included in the hourly operating cost, but are not discreetly recorded.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Kevan Jones: MOD is committed to protecting the health, safety and well-being of its employees and has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	Our Intranet Web Portal complements this with a page dedicated to health promotion which carries specific advice to employees on how to reduce stress. Responsibility for identification of the factors leading to stress rests with business areas, and line managers within these areas are required to use risk assessment to adapt the culture of their business and reduce stress levels. We provide specific training on managing stress and recognising stress in others and have published a guide for line managers, which includes reference to work/life balance issues including long hours, taking work home and recognising and managing stress. The Guide includes Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development indicators for identifying stress. All of this promotes good management practices and actively encourages a positive approach to life at work and at home.
	Confidential support for employees affected by stress caused by either work or external factors is also available through the MOD Occupational Welfare Service. This includes "signposting" to external agencies where appropriate. Special arrangements are in place to provide psychological support to any civilian employee affected by post-traumatic stress following deployment in support of operations with the armed forces.
	In cases of sickness absence for stress-related illnesses, MOD policy is to make an early referral to our occupational health providers. Outcomes include rehabilitation plans allowing a phased return to work so that employees can adjust gradually to their normal work pattern. We also actively encourage the use of return to work interviews and keeping in touch schemes for staff on long-term sickness absence.

Type-45 Destroyer: Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what he estimates the annual running costs, including manning costs, will be for a Type-45 Destroyer.

Bob Ainsworth: The annual running costs for the Type 45 destroyers have yet to be fully determined and it is departmental policy not to publish such costs until they have been approved in the Main Gate Business Case, which we expect to be early next year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Amphibians: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department is undertaking into the effect of habitat destruction and climate change on European amphibians, with particular reference to common toads; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA is not undertaking any specific research in these areas itself.
	Natural England, the Government's statutory advisor on nature conservation, believes there is already a good evidence base relating to the loss of amphibian habitat, such as the 1996 Lowland Pond Survey. As a consequence ponds were added to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) as a priority habitat in 2007. Four species of amphibian, including the common toad, are UK BAP priority species and included in the Section 41 list of species of principal importance in England.
	Natural England contributes expertise on amphibians to the work of the Amphibian Conservation Research Trust which is funding a project addressing the impacts of climate change.

Bees: Pesticides

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has commissioned or supported into the effects of pesticide use upon the bee population; and whether he has given consideration to banning any pesticide that is harmful to bee colonies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The rigorous EU scientific process for approval of pesticide active substances and the supporting national processes for individual products protect human health and the environment, including wildlife, providing products are used in accordance with the approval and any related conditions of approval. This approval process takes account of the potential impact on bees. My Department will, of course, act immediately on any concrete evidence of adverse impacts of pesticides on bees which occurs in the UK.
	As part of its pesticides research programme the Government are funding a number of projects in support of the development of this risk assessment process. A number of projects specifically relate to the potential impact of pesticides on honeybees, both from wide scale professional use and home-garden use of insecticides. These projects are still in progress.

Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will extend the bluetongue protection zone to Shropshire.

Jane Kennedy: The Bluetongue protection zone was rolled out to parts of Shropshire on 28 July, and to the rest of Shropshire on 7 August.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were destroyed because of contracting bovine tuberculosis in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was of paying compensation to the farmers so affected in each year.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 October 2008
	 The number of animals slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis control measures in Great Britain in the last five years, and the amounts of compensation paid, are given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of animals slaughtered under bovine TB control measures  Amount of compensation paid  (£ million) 
			 2007 28,200 30 
			 2006 22,282 28 
			 2005 30,093 43 
			 2004 23,064 34 
			 2003 23,821 38

Bovine Tuberculosis: Wales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on their tuberculosis health check programme.

Jane Kennedy: Responsibility for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is fully devolved and bTB policy in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
	However officials in my Department are in regular contact with those in the Welsh Assembly Government on bTB-related matters.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of the organisations that were originally proposed to be included in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme will now no longer be included as a consequence of the qualifying threshold being doubled from 3,000 to 6,000 megawatt hours of annual electricity consumption;
	(2)  what proportion of  (a) Government departments,  (b) executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies will be included in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The threshold for electricity consumption through half hourly meters was increased from 3,000 to 6,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per annum in order to help ensure that participants who are large energy consumers see net benefits from the scheme in reduced energy bills if they act to reduce their energy consumption.
	It is estimated that the 6,000 MWh threshold will include 95 per cent. of the emissions that would be covered by the 3,000 MWh threshold. It is difficult to assess accurately the number of organisations that this relates to because of the lack of accurate energy consumption data aggregated to organisation level (for example, organisations and their subsidiaries may have several electricity suppliers). The number of organisations at a 6,000 MWh threshold may not be substantially different from that at 3,000 MWh, and is thought to be at the high end of a wide range of 2,000-5,000. The analysis demonstrating the range of estimates made can be seen in the partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA), published on 6 July 2007. This is available to view on DEFRA's website.
	All central Government Departments, irrespective of whether they meet the qualification threshold, will participate in the carbon reduction commitment (CRC).
	In general, Government Departments and their statutory delivery bodies will participate in CRC as separate entities where they meet the qualifying threshold. However, those Government sponsored bodies that do not have separate legal status will participate under their parent Government Department—in practice this generally means executive agencies and possibly some smaller advisory/tribunal non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).
	We will not know exactly what proportion of executive agencies and NDPBs will be included in CRC until the formal registration process for the scheme is under way in 2009.

Carbon Sequestration: Brazil

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Brazil on the inclusion of provisions on carbon capture and storage in the Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State has not yet had any meetings with the Government of Brazil on the subject of carbon capture and storage (CCS). General discussions on the potential for CCS and possible approaches to financing, including the Clean Development Mechanism, have taken place at official level.

Carbon Trust

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Carbon Trust is covered by the provisions and obligations of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Bodies specified as subject to the Freedom of Information Act (in schedule 1 to the Act) are thereby also subject to the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs). But, this apart, there is no definitive list of organisations covered by the EIRs. All bodies which carry out functions of public administration and bodies that are under the control of a public authority and have responsibilities, exercise functions or provide public services relating to the environment are covered by the EIRs organisations must therefore come to their own view as to whether they or some of the functions they exercise are covered, seeking individual advice from DEFRA as necessary.
	The Carbon Trust is not included in schedule 1 of FOIA. Moreover the Carbon Trust and DEFRA's view is that the Carbon Trust is an independent private company limited by guarantee and not a public sector organisation. The Carbon Trust does not fall within the definition of a 'public authority' for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations. It is not a 'public authority' for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and it does not carry out statutory or administrative functions but uses its government funding in its own programmes to achieve its mission of accelerating the move to a low carbon economy; nor is it controlled by any body which is a public authority for the purpose of the regulations.
	However, the Carbon Trust has achieved ISO 14001 accreditation and publishes an annual environmental report on its own environmental impacts, together with information about its businesses and the impact of those businesses in terms of CO2 emission reductions, in its annual report and accounts. It has obtained independent assurance of the application of its impact assessment methodology. The Carbon Trust annual report and accounts for 2007-08 was published in September.
	Any dispute about such coverage is subject to appeal under the enforcement provisions of the regulations.

Coastal Areas

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Environment Agency has to draw up proposals for parts of the British coastline to be surrendered to sea erosion; in which parts of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency already has strategic Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) for the coastline of England and Wales. These identify the flood and coastal risk management policies around the coast in order for the coast to be managed in a sustainable way. They are a strategic, evidence based approach to planning investment and ensuring the security of as much of the coastline as possible for the next 100 years. These policies include maintaining the existing line of defence or realigning the coast either through natural or managed processes.
	The Environment Agency is also developing a long-term investment strategy for flood and coastal erosion which will look at what the risk is, how to manage it and what it will cost over the next 25 years.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government Departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The air mileage used to calculate DEFRA's payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in 2005-06 was 6,043,505. This figure includes DEFRA's agencies State Veterinary Service (SVS), Government Decontamination Service (GDS), and the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA). Records at this time did not distinguish between domestic, short-haul and long-haul categories.
	Figures for 2006-07 are detailed in the following table, broken down into the categories requested, and also include SVS/Animal Health, GDS and MFA.
	
		
			   Mileage 
			 Domestic 50,422 
			 Short-haul 503,575 
			 Long-haul 2,124,031 
			 Unknown 3,101,211 
			 Total 5,779,239 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 are currently being compiled.
	DEFRA also offsets its rail travel by contributing to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund. Mileage offset in 2006-07 was 3,709,435.48.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Jonathan R Shaw: Departmental staff entitled to business class or first class travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class without benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Jonathan R Shaw: I will place in the Library the names of each organisation that supplied goods and services to the core-Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the core-Department's financial database. However, these organisations comprise a mixture of companies and sole traders and it would be a disproportionate cost to separate out the addresses of companies from those of individuals sufficient and necessary to ensure DEFRA that complies with its obligations under the provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the annual average time taken by households to sort domestic rubbish so that it may be recycled; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made by DEFRA.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities  (a) are considering,  (b) are piloting,  (c) are planning to move to and  (d) have moved to household waste collections where residual rubbish is collected (i) once every three weeks and (ii) once every month, according to records held by (A) his Department and (B) the Waste and Resources Action Programme; and what guidance or support has been produced on the issue.

Jane Kennedy: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) hold any records on the information requested. However, neither body is aware of any local authority in this position.
	Neither DEFRA nor WRAP has produced any guidance or provided any support on this issue.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether funding from the Waste and Resources Action Programme's local communications fund has been used to support the introduction of fortnightly rubbish collections.

Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's Behaviour Change Local Fund (BCLF) was designed to increase public participation in recycling and composting services by supporting communications and awareness raising activities carried out by the partner local authorities. BCLF funding has been awarded to a large number of local authorities, running a variety of waste collection schemes. In each case, the purpose was to support the local authority's communication of its strategy for improving recycling rates. What this strategy was in each case, and whether or not it involved the introduction of alternate weekly collection of residual waste, was a matter for the local authority to decide.

Environment Agency: Pumps

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the Environment Agency's review of the efficiency of its pumps; what actions were recommended in the review; what estimate has been made of the potential  (a) carbon dioxide emission reductions and  (b) costs arising; what progress has been made to date in implementing the review's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency has worked with the Carbon Trust to undertake a review of the energy efficiency of a sample of flood risk management pumping stations. A report has been published and is available on the Environment Agency's website.
	The report identifies opportunities for energy reduction, quantifies the likely savings in carbon dioxide and identifies the cost of implementing various technical options. The Environment Agency will consider the report as it takes measures to further reduce energy use relating to pumping. However it will take time to assess the options, understand the costs and plan the work at all pumping sites.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account will be taken of representations received on the consultation on restructuring of inland drainage boards in formulating policy on their future structure.

Jane Kennedy: The internal drainage boards sub catchment review was not a formal consultation, but a direction of travel proposed following an independent report produced in 2006. The independent report outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the current performance of internal drainage boards and made recommendations for future improvements. Currently all representations have either been accepted or are under review with relevant internal drainage boards.

Flood Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken to  (a) clear ditches,  (b) widen and deepen drainage channels and  (c) create holding areas for surplus water in periods of heavy rain in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards have all undertaken extensive maintenance operations and capital construction schemes in the past 12 months to secure the efficient working of existing channels and to reduce flood risk through flood alleviation schemes.
	Holding areas are one of the many techniques known as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. Developers are encouraged to incorporate such systems into new developments. Many Environment Agency flood alleviation schemes also incorporate these techniques in preference to more traditional channel enlargement options.

Floods

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of  (a) households,  (b) deprived households and  (c) rural households at risk from flooding, broken down by local authority area.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The National Flood Risk Assessment undertaken in 2006 by the Environment Agency identified the number of properties in areas that are at risk from flooding across England and Wales. These data were broken down by each local authority. The number of deprived households or rural households at risk in each local authority area was not assessed as part of this work. The flood risk in areas of deprivation was, however, considered in the Environment Agency's research project "Addressing Environmental Inequalities: Flood Risk" published in March 2006.

Floods: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what hydrological studies the Environment Agency has initiated to assess future flood risk in Bassetlaw constituency; and when the reports of such studies will be completed.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 6 October 2008
	 Following the flooding of June 2007 the Environment Agency commissioned consultants to produce reports about the events that occurred in Worksop and Retford.
	Both reports will be used to aid the Environment Agency's understanding of the possible improvements to flood defences on the River Ryton in Worksop and to the Retford Beck in Retford. The Environment Agency has completed the report for Worksop. The study for the Retford Beck will start soon and is due to be completed by the end of March 2009.
	In addition to the studies of potential works to reduce flood risk, the Environment Agency has carried out the following mapping studies, which include hydrological analyses, within the Bassetlaw constituency:
	River Idle Flood Risk Mapping, March 2005
	River Maun, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, March 2007
	River Meden, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, June 2008
	River Ryton, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, March 2008
	Tidal Trent Strategy, April 2005
	Laneham Beck Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, 2007

Floods: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment the Environment Agency has made of the size and condition of pumping stations in Bassetlaw constituency.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency operates and maintains two pumping stations in Bassetlaw, at West Stockwith and at Beckingham.
	All Environment Agency pumps at both West Stockwith and Beckingham are currently monitored on a daily basis, fully maintained and are operational.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet the hon. Member for Castle Point and a delegation from the Canvey Island Town Council to discuss the effects on Canvey Island of the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 proposals.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Environment (Hilary Benn) or I would be happy to meet with the hon. Member for Castle Point and I will ensure a meeting is arranged.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with other Departments on the likely effects of the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 scheme on Canvey Island's  (a) public safety and  (b) proposed levels of future building.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2008
	Discussions regarding the Thames Estuary 2100 (TS2100) project have been held with the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Thames High Level Steering Group. The Environment Agency's TE2100 project recommends that flood risk is managed to keep pace with rising seas caused by climate change. This work is being undertaken at a strategic level and detailed discussions of public safety on Canvey Island have not yet taken place. Any proposals arising from the TE2100 project will fully address public safety.
	Future development on Canvey Island is not a factor that the TE2100 Project has been tasked to consider; this is a matter that the local planning authority will address in drawing up their local development framework. Any future development will need to be strategically assessed for flood risk and therefore in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 25.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what area of land on Canvey Island is being considered for flooding under the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 scheme.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2008
	The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) project is considering the creation of new inter-tidal habitat on West Canvey Marshes. This is in response to the need to replace the inter-tidal habitats (laid down in the EU habitats directive) that will be lost around Canvey Island as sea levels rise.
	This habitat creation would involve a controlled breach of existing flood defences to create new inter-tidal areas. If consultation demonstrated support for such a scheme a new flood defence would need to be constructed to protect people and property. This defence would ensure flood risk is managed to keep pace with rising sea levels.
	The TE2100 project is still in development and there will be opportunities for representations on the final recommendations when the draft plan goes to consultation in spring 2009.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the likely effects of the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 scheme on sites on Canvey Island.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2008
	There has been on-going dialogue between the Environment Agency and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) throughout the development of the Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) plan.
	The Environment Agency and RSPB have agreed to work together to establish the most effective management of inter-tidal and freshwater habitat on both the south and east coast. TE2100 and RSPB jointly recognise that there needs to be a combination of sustainable inter-tidal and freshwater habitat in the Thames Estuary. Discussion specific to West Canvey Marshes is on-going.
	The TE2100 project is still in development and there will be opportunities for representations on the final recommendations when the draft plan goes to consultation in spring 2009.

Floods: Crops

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of damage caused to crops during recent floods.

Jane Kennedy: The 2008 harvest has been one of the wettest on record with rainfall around double normal levels. The main impact has been that the harvest has taken much longer than normal to complete, which is likely to have led to higher labour, fuel and machinery costs, particularly where grain has had to be dried. However, cereal yields are reported to be higher than normal. DEFRA will publish farm income figures by farm type at the end of January 2009 which will show the net impact of the weather and other factors on the incomes of cereal and other cropping farms.

Floods: Crops

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of loss of crops incurred as a result of recent floods.

Jane Kennedy: While the 2008 harvest was one of the wettest on record, the scale of flooding was not of that seen in 2007 and the overall impact of flooding on arable cropping is not believed to have been significant. DEFRA will publish its first forecast of arable crop production later in October.

Floods: Environment Protection

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to ensure that  (a) sites of special scientific interest and  (b) important wildlife habitats are not destroyed by the implementation of Environment Agency plans to flood areas in the Thames estuary.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is required by law to protect the environment and promote conservation. The conservation and enhancement of Thames estuary habitats and species are key objectives of the Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) project.
	Throughout the development of the TE2100 plan the Environment Agency has been in close dialogue with Natural England to ensure the plan is compliant with UK and EU wildlife legislation. Full details of how the wildlife and species of the Thames estuary have been considered in relation to future flood risk management will be contained in the TE2100 consultation plan due to be launched in spring 2009.

Floods: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of draining systems serving  (a) households and  (b) businesses in (i) Castle Point and (ii) Canvey Island are privately owned.

Jane Kennedy: Defra does not hold information on the proportion of draining systems serving  (a) households and  (b) businesses in (i) Castle Point and (ii) Canvey Island that are privately owned.

Floods: Inland Waterways

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Natural England on the requirement to clear and widen watercourses to prevent flooding.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State meets the Chairman of Natural England, Sir Martin Doughty, on a regular basis, and the subject of flooding and sustainable solutions has been discussed in the light of the Government's review of the 2007 floods. I am not aware that the specific topic of a 'requirement to clear and widen watercourses' has arisen. This is a matter for the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards in their byelaws. Natural England has been working with Internal Drainage Boards to produce "The Drainage Channel Biodiversity Manual—integrating wildlife and flood risk management", which was launched at the annual conference and exhibition of the Association of Drainage Authorities on 17 and 18 September.

Floods: Insurance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support his Department provides to households to assist with measures required to become eligible for flood insurance cover.

Jane Kennedy: Currently there is no Government grant scheme offering assistance to those wishing to install property-level resistance and resilience measures.
	On 30 July 2008 Defra launched a consultation on options to increase the use of property-level measures to mitigate the impacts of flooding for homes that have a high chance of flooding every year. The consultation builds on the grants pilot scheme that Defra recently completed.
	Under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002, local authorities have some flexibility in providing discretionary assistance for repairs and adaptations. It is for local authorities to decide the circumstances in which to give discretionary assistance and what form that assistance may take (e.g. grants, loans, equity release schemes etc.)

Floods: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the likelihood of flooding at North Leverton and North Wheatley primary schools.

Jane Kennedy: The responsibility for carrying out flood risk assessments for North Leverton and North Wheatley primary schools lies with the education authority and local authority.
	The Environment Agency was contacted in July 2007 by MHI Design requesting flood risk information on a number of school sites including North Leverton and North Wheatley. The Environment Agency recommended that robust flood protection measures should be incorporated into any refurbishment of either school, if refurbishment was deemed to be the way forward by the education authority and local authority.
	MHI Design subsequently submitted a Simple Flood Risk Assessment and Evacuation Plan for temporary accommodation for North Wheatley primary school, to which the Environment Agency had no objection.

Floods: Warnings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of procedures for flood warnings.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency undertakes regular post flood incident surveys and performance reviews. During the summer 2007 floods, over 80 per cent. of the warnings issued provided at least two hours advance warning. This commitment is stated within the Environment Agency's customer chapter.
	The Environment Agency continues to make appropriate investments to improve its flood warning services so that flood warnings will be given in good time to ensure they are acted upon and damage minimised.

Floods: Worksop

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment the Environment Agency has made of the flooding risk in Worksop.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency has recently completed a flood risk feasibility report for Worksop. The report looked at the possible use of storage areas for flood water upstream of Worksop as well as flood walls and banks through the town.

Fly Tipping: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much funding his Department received for the detection and prosecution of fly tipping in each year from 2002 to 2008; and what funding is planned for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11;
	(2)  what proportion of revenue from landfill tax was allocated to the Environment Agency for the detection and prosecution of fly tipping in each year from 2002 to 2008; and what proportion is planned for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 6 October 2008
	 The Environment Agency received £2 million per year from 2005-08 under the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme funded by Landfill Tax receipts to tackle illegal waste activity. The focus of these projects was to reduce the level of illegal dumping and improve the detection of offenders.
	This programme has been extended and is now funded through the Resource Efficiency and Carbon Programme £1.5 million has been allocated for 2008-09 and 2009-10. Funding for 2010-11 has yet to be determined.

Food Supply

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent changes have been made to his Department's strategy on security of food supply within the UK; and what factors prompted such changes.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 6 October 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the discussion paper published in July entitled 'Ensuring the UK's Food Security in a Changing World' which described the current trends, and set out the challenges facing the food supply chain in the future, including high energy prices, poor harvests, rising demand, the use of biofuels and export bans.
	No recent changes have been made to the Department's strategy on UK food security. However, DEFRA is currently consulting on the questions raised in July's paper. We will publish the results of the consultation and the Government response in due course.

Food Supply

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the results of the consultation upon food security are expected to be published; and when the Government expects to make a response.

Jane Kennedy: In July 2008 DEFRA published a discussion paper entitled 'Ensuring the UK's Food Security in a Changing World' which described the trends leading to the current global situation, set out the challenges facing the food supply chain in the future, and discussed whether the UK food supply chain is sufficiently resilient to withstand short-term shocks and longer-term challenges. Its purpose was to encourage public debate on what more needs to be done with relation to food security in the UK and the rest of the world. DEFRA is currently engaging with stakeholders on the questions raised in July's paper. It is intended to publish initial conclusions before the end of the year.

Food: Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of food consumed in the UK in the last period for which figures are available had been imported; what information he holds on the land area used to produce this food; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: In 2006, 51 per cent. of food consumed in the UK was imported to the UK. This is based on the value of unprocessed food. The UK imports food from a diversity of countries in Europe and around the world, with a variety of production systems and land requirements.

Food: Land

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much farming land in the UK was not used for food production in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Results from the UK June surveys of agriculture showed that the total area of agricultural land not used for food production in 2008 was 1.2 million hectares. This accounts for 7.0 per cent. of the total area of land on agricultural holdings. Results are provisional and will be revised in December 2008.
	
		
			  Thousand hectares 
			   2008 
			 Bare fallow/arable land not in production 198.6 
			 Area of industrial crops (miscanthus, short rotation coppice, linseed, borage)(1,2) 34.1 
			 Hardy Nursery Stock, bulbs and flowers grown in the open(3) 12.8 
			 Farm woodland 677.0 
			 Land not used for agriculture (e.g. ponds, roads, buildings etc.) 287.9 
			 Total area not used for food production 1,210.4 
			 Total area of land on agricultural holdings 17,323.4 
			 (1) Miscanthus, short rotation coppice and borage areas are for England only. (2) Food crops which can be grown for non-food purposes (e.g. oilseed rape for bio-energy) are not collected separately in these surveys so are included in the main crop area. (3) 2007 data as 2008 results will not be available until December 2008.

Food: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on food prices of the European Commission's amendment to Regulation 91/4/14.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 6 October 2008
	In May 2008 the Pesticides Safety Directorate published an assessment of the agronomic impact of the restrictions set out in the Commission Proposals. This has recently been developed into an economic assessment by Sean Rickard, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics at Cranfield University School of Management, which is available at the Cranfield university website.

Grasslands: Nature Conservation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1473W, what area of  (a) lowland heathland and  (b) acid grassland restoration has been undertaken by (i) Forestry Commission England, (ii) other Government departments and (iii) non-governmental organisations; and in which geographical areas this restoration has taken place.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested is as follows:
	 (i) Forestry Commission England
	
		
			  Lowland heathland and dry acid grassland on the Forestry Commission estate in England: restoration from woods and forests to April 2008 
			  ha 
			  Forest district  (a) Lowland heathland restoration since 1990  (b) Lowland dry acid grassland restoration since 2004( 1) 
			 New Forest 1,284 32 
			 East Anglia 628 0.4 
			 Sherwood and Lines 235 0 
			 South-east England 130 3 
			 Peninsula 95 0.2 
			 West midlands 64 0 
			 Forest of Dean 45 0 
			 North York Moors 56 0 
			
			 Total 2,537 36 
			 (1) FC only started recording lowland dry acid grassland in the database in 2004. 
		
	
	 (ii) Other Government Departments
	The only figures available to DEFRA are for Natural England through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme data (in particular higher level stewardship).
	 (a) 11,664 ha are currently under options to improve or restore lowland heathland in the higher level scheme (which has run since 2005). A regional breakdown of this figure is presented in the following table. A further 865 ha has also been improved or restored in Hampshire through Natural England's Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund over the last three years.
	
		
			   ha 
			  Region  Area of lowland heathland under restoration options in HLS 
			 East midlands 190.91 
			 East of England 726.96 
			 London 47.59 
			 North-east 114.13 
			 North-west 354.23 
			 South-east 6,032.44 
			 South-west 4,008.57 
			 West midlands 142.18 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 47.29 
			   
			 Total 11,664.30 
			  Source: Natural England 
		
	
	 (b) 744 ha are currently under options to restore or recreate lowland dry acid grassland in the Higher Level Scheme since 2005. There is no regional breakdown of this figure currently available. A further 125 ha have also been improved or restored in Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Durham through Natural England's Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund over the last three years.
	 (iii) Non-governmental organisations
	The Government currently do not have details on the combined contributions of non-governmental organisations towards the delivery of the habitat restoration targets. Estimates of progress towards the delivery of Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets, incorporating information from a range of sources and stakeholders, will be available in early 2009 following completion of the 2008 BAP reporting round.

Ivory

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the ivory trade; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The global ban on international commercial trade in ivory remains firmly in place. The UK fully supports this and is absolutely clear that illegal and unsustainable trade in ivory should not be permitted.
	However, we draw a distinction between one-off sales of ivory which is legally held by governments, for the benefit of their wildlife conservation programmes, and a general return to commercial trading in ivory, where we are not convinced that current conditions will ensure proper protection for elephants.

Landfill: Recycling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the recovery of plastics and other waste material from closed landfill sites for the purposes of recycling; and if he will make a statement

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The Government have no plans to recover plastics and other materials from closed landfills for recycling. However, the Government aim to reduce the amount of waste entering landfills by encouraging waste prevention, re-use and recycling.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will amend regulations relating to fallen stock to better facilitate their swift disposal.

Jane Kennedy: The EU Animal By-Products Regulation (1774/2002) requires fallen stock to be disposed of without undue delay by rendering or incineration and there is a good service in place through the National Fallen Stock Scheme which ensures fallen stock are collected for disposal speedily and safely.

National Rights of Way Casework Team

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the performance of the National Rights of Way Casework Team against its targets for reviewing representations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Defra regularly reviews the performance of the National Rights of Way Casework Team and has recently acknowledged that the new transport work for the Department for Transport being carried out by the Government office north east is having an impact on the rights of way casework. Officials are discussing, with Government office north east, the problems of meeting targets for the issuing of decisions on Schedule 14 appeals and what needs to be done to ensure the level of service is improved.

National Rights of Way Casework Team

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has given to  (a) the National Rights of Way Casework Team and  (b) surveying authorities on how to determine whether modifications to the definitive map of rights of way have been made as soon as reasonably practicable.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Section 53(2)(a) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 requires modifications to the definitive map and statement, the legal record of all rights of way to be made, "as soon as reasonably practicable". Defra has issued no guidance as to what timeframe "as soon as reasonably practicable" constitutes, as every case will be judged by individual circumstances. If a person believes that a highway authority is not fulfilling its duties under section 53(2), he can challenge its actions through the local government ombudsman, who has the power to investigate complaints of maladministration.

National Rights of Way Casework Team

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are assigned to the National Rights of Way Casework Team.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are three people who work full time and one person who works part time on the National Rights of Way Casework Team.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many appeals have been made to him under Schedule 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; how many appeals have been allowed; what the  (a) longest,  (b) shortest and  (c) average time taken for a decision to be issued is; and what the longest time an appeal has remained without the issue of a decision is.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Prior to the establishment of the National Rights of Way Casework team in July 2005, work was carried out under Schedule 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 by the regional Government offices. There are no detailed central records of the Schedule 14 work carried out by those offices and the information requested could be gathered only at a disproportionate cost. However, as a guide a report estimated that the regional Government offices collectively received between 50 and 70 Schedule 14 appeals every year prior to 2005. Since 2005, the National Rights of Way Casework team has determined 150 appeals, of which 76 have been upheld. The additional information on appeal handling times can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding he has made available to assist farmers to comply with nitrate vulnerable zones.

Jane Kennedy: There are a number of potential existing sources of financial support available to farmers which could help with implementation of the revised Action Programme for nitrate vulnerable zones. For example, the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative is providing grants for farmers with land in a priority catchment for a range of capital items including roofs for slurry stores and improving yard drainage (clean and foul water separation). There have been two rounds of applications for these grants since April 2007. Subject to funding being available we expect there will be further rounds.
	Funding is also available for a range of activities under the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13. The socio-economic elements of this programme are the responsibility of the regional development agencies (RDAs). Individual regional implementation plans set out objectives and priorities for these socio-economic elements and may include support to help farmers meet the requirements of the Nitrates Action Programme.
	As part of this funding we have also asked RDAs to use voluntary modulation receipts, amounting to £98 million at current exchange rates over the lifetime of the programme, specifically to address priorities in the livestock industry including providing support for farmers in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of on-farm management of nutrients.
	Furthermore, slurry storage facilities are eligible for plant and machinery allowances such as the new annual investment allowance, capped at £50,000 per year, included in this year's Finance Bill. Slurry pits also qualify for allowances in their own right under the Capital Allowances Act 2001.

Office of Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work the Office of Climate Change has undertaken; and what further work is planned.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of Climate Change has undertaken work in the following areas:
	Draft Climate Change Bill
	Analytical audit
	Standards for voluntary offsetting
	EU Emissions Trading Scheme review project
	Household emissions
	Heat
	Carbon budgets
	Adaptation finance
	Currently the Office of Climate Change is working in the following areas:
	Climate change governance and delivery
	Global carbon finance
	Global technology project
	Global carbon markets
	Shadow Committee on Climate Change
	Stern team
	Eliasch Review
	Further information about its work can be found on its website.

Office of Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1528W, on the Office of Climate Change, what progress the Office has made in  (a) developing policy options for reducing emissions from heating and cooling of buildings,  (b) its assessment of the UK's institutional arrangements and their ability to support domestic climate change goals and  (c) its assessment of the global carbon finance flows required to support developing countries in moving towards low carbon economies.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	 (a) The heating and cooling project looked at how carbon emissions can be reduced from heating and cooling across industrial, commercial and domestic sectors. Following this, the Department for Business, Energy and Regulatory Reform, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities and Local Government, undertook a call for evidence from January 2008 to 31 March 2008 and analysis of the findings are now underway.
	 (b) The Office of Climate Change has established strengthened capacity for supporting the programme management across government of both domestic and international climate change goals.
	 (c) The Office of Climate Change has made good progress with its model of global carbon finance flows. Some results were presented at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP 13 in Bali at a UK side event and the material can be found on the office's website.

Plastic Bags: Voluntary Work

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, of 22 August, transferred from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (reference: CMS 101711), on charity shops re-using carrier bags.

Jane Kennedy: Policy officials have looked into the matter raised in this letter. A response is now being drafted and will be issued shortly.

Primates: Pets

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pet primates have been recorded in the UK through licences issued under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 since 2000.

Huw Irranca-Davies: This information is not held centrally. The administration and enforcement of the licensing regime under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 is the responsibility of local authorities.

Recycling: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes there have been to the levels of household recycling in  (a) Devon,  (b) Plymouth and  (c) Torbay since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the percentage of household waste that was sent for recycling or composting by Devon county council, Plymouth city council and Torbay council since 1997.
	These figures were reported to the Audit Commission by local authorities under the Best Value Performance regime. There have been some changes in the definitions of the waste indicators over time which affect the comparability of data, particularly prior to 2001.
	
		
			   Devon county council  Plymouth city council  Torbay council 
			 1997-98 17.00 (1)— (1)— 
			 1998-99 20.20 11.90 15.82 
			 1999-2000 31.00 15.00 21.00 
			 2000-01 19.79 21.17 (1)— 
			 2001-02 20.52 12.00 20.84 
			 2002-03 22.18 13.65 20.11 
			 2003-04 26.70 15.36 20.69 
			 2004-05 32.70 16.09 21.93 
			 2005-06 40.59 22.41 25.62 
			 2006-07 45.80 26.86 26.06 
			 2007-08(2) 47.06 31.18 28.08 
			 (1 )No data available. (2) Figures for 2007-08 are provisional and subject to audit.  Note: From 2006-07 BVPIs have been reported via WasteDataFlow

Recycling: Waste Management

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage businesses to divert waste from landfill to recycling.

Jane Kennedy: The Government's Waste Strategy Annual Progress Report, published on 10 July 2008, presents an overview of progress made in the last year on the actions set out in the Waste Strategy for England 2007. The report shows how the Government are taking forward actions to reduce waste, including encouraging businesses to divert waste from landfill to recycling. Furthermore, since the Waste Strategy was published, we have been engaging with key waste stakeholders on priorities for commercial and industrial waste reduction. We aim to publish a further statement of our strategic aims in this area in the new year.
	The Waste Strategy announced an increase in the landfill tax escalator to provide greater incentives to business to reduce, re-use and recycle waste. The scheduled £8 per tonne landfill tax escalator came into effect from April 2008.
	In order to help businesses reduce waste and disposal and other costs, the Government are funding a range of business support. The aim is to change behaviours amongst businesses by raising awareness and understanding of the value and importance of recycling and waste prevention, and to develop solutions. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) and other delivery bodies aim to achieve significant amounts of business waste recycling and reduction. For example in 2008-09, NISP is looking to help divert 750 kilotons of waste from landfill, in addition to a number of other important environmental and business benefits.
	The Government are simplifying the regulatory system through waste protocols to clarify when waste ceases to be waste, and so is no longer subject to regulation. As a result, businesses are increasingly able to recycle materials that would previously have been sent to landfill. Early indications suggest that over the next 10 years, Waste Protocols could encourage the recovery and reuse of 17 million tonnes of materials, potentially adding close to £700 million to the economy and reducing CO2 emissions by 1.5 million tonnes.
	Additionally, the London Waste and Recycling Board is a new statutory Board which has been set up to bring together the Mayor, the boroughs and others involved in managing the capital's waste, with the key aims of boosting London's recycling rates and reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill. The board is funded by £60 million from DEFRA (for three years) and £24 million from the LDA (for four years). The board is chaired by Boris Johnson and he has reiterated how he wants London's recycling rates, both in the business and domestic sector, to increase dramatically.
	Finally, the Waste Strategy set out the vital role of local government and regional bodies in providing advice and services to businesses and developing partnership working. The Government are supporting the development of this wider role by funding pilot initiatives by local authorities and supporting the provision and dissemination of guidance and best practice. Furthermore, the Government are encouraging local authorities to consider non-municipal waste when planning facilities for municipal waste.

River Lymington: Ferries

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what measures he is taking to ensure that regulators involved in determining Wightlink's application for shore works on the Lymington River co-ordinate their separate responsibilities to ensure full compliance with the EU Habitats Directive is achieved; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he plans to respond to the letters of  (a) 5 September and  (b) 19 September from the hon. Member for New Forest West on the future of the Lymington River;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the request by New Forest District Council that the application by Wightlink for shore works in the Lymington River be the subject of a full environmental impact assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Marine and Fisheries Agency is responsible for determining the application for shore works on the Lymington river under the Food and Environment Protection Act. However, its focus is the deposition of materials in the sea. The delays in determining the decision are as a result of ongoing discussions over the environmental impacts of the ferry operations. There are many regulators involved in this wider project, including Lymington Harbour Commissioners, New Forest district council, Natural England and the Environment Agency. DEFRA is one of the parties involved in the process of establishing who is responsible for regulating the ferry operations in this area, and is aware that a number of related environmental issues need to be considered, potentially with an environmental impact assessment. The Government office south-east will also be expected to play an independent role in resolving the situation.
	The Minister for the Natural and Marine Environment, Wildlife and Rural Affairs plans to respond to previous letters sent in September as soon as possible.

Rural Payments Agency

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions legal proceedings resulting in a court hearing have been initiated against the Rural Payments Agency since the Agency's establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: There have been eight cases brought against the Rural Payments Agency resulting in a court decision, of which three were judicial review claims and five were civil claims.

Sewers

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timescale is for the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains that drain to the public sewer to the ownership and responsibility of water and sewerage companies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend (Mr. Woolas) on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1942W.

Sewers: Lancashire

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with United Utilities on sewage works in Fleetwood and Wyre.

Jane Kennedy: None.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the proposal of the EU to appoint an animal welfare officer for each slaughterhouse.

Jane Kennedy: We are currently considering the proposed regulation and will be consulting formally before finalising our policy.

Trapping

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role the Central Science Laboratory will play in the proposed research into the use of snares.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The research into the use of snares was put out to open tender and has recently been let. The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust put in a joint bid, with CSL as the lead partner. They were successful in securing the contract. They will therefore be responsible for carrying out the research.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to co-ordinate the Warm Front Scheme with existing schemes to fund fuel switching and insulation works offered by utility companies.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Warm Front has an established history of working with energy suppliers who are looking to achieve their targets under the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) and its predecessor, the energy efficiency commitment. Through these relationships the vast majority of households receiving first time loft or cavity wall insulations through Warm Front have their measures funded through CERT. This provides benefits to the householder by freeing up more of their Warm Front grant allowance for other measures and provides a more joined-up form of delivery.

Waste Disposal: Departmental Responsibilities

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the proposals for the new charges for the collection of household waste within the Climate Change Bill will remain the responsibility of his Department or become the responsibility of the new Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2008
	 I can confirm that responsibility for household waste collection will remain with Defra.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timetable is for the selection of the local authorities which will pilot charges for the collection of household rubbish.

Jane Kennedy: Under the powers included in the Climate Change Bill, up to five local authorities in England will be permitted to pilot incentive schemes for encouraging householders to reduce and recycle their waste.
	In June, my predecessor, the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Joan Ruddock) wrote to local authorities inviting them to come forward with proposals to pilot a waste incentive pilot scheme, with a deadline of eight weeks after Royal Assent to the Climate Change Bill. Once the powers in the Bill are commenced, the Government will be able to designate up to five local authorities to proceed with pilots. We anticipate that pilots could begin from spring 2009 onwards, though the exact timing will depend on the nature of proposals put forward by authorities.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to chief executives of local authorities inviting them to participate in the pilots of charges for the collection of household waste.

Jane Kennedy: I am arranging for copies of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Waste Management

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance he has given to county councils and unitary authorities to develop waste-processing technologies.

Jane Kennedy: To date over £1.7 billion in private finance initiative (PFI) credits has been committed to 31 local authority waste projects.
	Also, for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 DEFRA is making £185 million of grant funding available to local authorities through the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant (WICG) and £60 million through the London Waste and Recycling Fund. These will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities to enable appropriate infrastructure to be developed in time to help English authorities meet landfill targets.
	DEFRA also operates the New Technologies Demonstrator Programme to demonstrate innovative waste treatment technologies as possible alternatives to landfill. Each of the eight sites will have a visitor centre open to representatives from local authorities and the waste sector to enable them to learn more about the particular strengths and weaknesses of each technology.

Waste Management: Industrial Disputes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of local government industrial action by municipal refuse collectors in the summer months in areas with fortnightly rubbish collections.

Jane Kennedy: No such assessment has been made by Defra. It is the local authority's responsibility to assess the impact of industrial action on their services, including waste collection.

Weedkillers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 435W, on manure, what representations he has received on the withdrawal of the provisional authorisation of aminopyralid.

Hilary Benn: The first representation relating to withdrawal was received by the Pesticides Safety Directorate's helpline on 25 June 2008. Ten such representations had been received up to 8 September 2008. Ministers have also received around 30 letters which made some reference to withdrawal.

Wildlife: Conservation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to enforce provisions on the protection of endangered species in the UK.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Primary responsibility for enforcing wildlife legislation rests with the police service and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). DEFRA actively supports their activities through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW).
	DEFRA, together with the Home Office, is the main source of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU)—a police-led, stand-alone, multi-agency unit with the UK-wide remit for Wildlife Crime established in 2006. The unit gathers intelligence on national wildlife crime and provides analytical and investigative support to police and customs officers across the UK.
	DEFRA, together with the other relevant Government Departments and enforcement authorities appraises the impact of wildlife crime and sets out the wildlife crime priorities for the NWCU. Current wildlife crime priorities include hen harrier persecution, offences against bats and poaching, among others.
	Endangered species listed on annex A to the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) require licences in order to be traded within the UK. Animal Health operate a panel of wildlife inspectors who carry out inspections to ensure that the legislation is complied with; and also have an enforcement team who provide information from its records in support of prosecutions.

Wildlife: Environment Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce the harmful effects of pesticides on wildlife.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The rigorous EU scientific process for approval of pesticide active substances and the supporting national processes for individual products protect human health and the environment, including wildlife, providing products are used in accordance with the approval and any related conditions of approval. My Department is currently considering whether it is necessary to use further powers contained in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to prohibit the possession of certain pesticide ingredients that may be harmful to wildlife.
	Monitoring of pesticide poisoning cases is carried out through the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme which investigates any reported cases of suspected pesticide poisoning. Published data from this scheme show that, of those cases where a cause can be attributed to pesticides, the vast majority arise from abuse or misuse.

Wildlife: Environment Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government have taken to address the illegal poisoning of wildlife.

Huw Irranca-Davies: On 26 July my right hon. Friend the noble Lord Rooker relaunched the Government's renewed Campaign against Illegal Poisoning to protect wild animals from illegal poisoning by pesticides. Over the next three years this will focus on preventing poisoning, educating people against accidental poisoning, and improved detection of poisoning cases.
	The National Wildlife Crime Unit is also assessing the extent of illegal poisoning and will make any appropriate recommendations.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1704W, on staff: 10 Downing Street 
	(1) , which companies employ the members of staff working in the Cabinet Office seconded in from outside the Civil Service; and how many employees are seconded by each;
	(2)  what the  (a) job descriptions and  (b) daily rates of pay are for the agency staff and consultants working in the Cabinet Office;
	(3)  what the job titles are of the fee-paid staff; and what daily fees the fee-paid staff are paid;
	(4)  how many of the 87 members of FTE staff working in the Cabinet Office not employed by the Civil Service are staff seconded in from outside the Civil Service;
	(5)  if he will break down the staff numbers by employment type;
	(6)  how many of these staff are paid for by organisations other than the Government; and which organisations pay for them in each case.

Tom Watson: Due to the wide ranging and topical nature of Cabinet Office work, we require a flexible resourcing model which allows us to bring in and move out skills and expertise as the business demands. Consequently, we use a mixture of non-permanent employment contracts including secondments from .outside the civil service, consultants, fixed term appointments, fee-paid and agency staff.
	As at 31 December 2007, there were 87 members of staff (FTE) working in the Cabinet Office who were not employed by the civil service. This figure included staff seconded in from outside the civil service, fee-paid staff, agency staff and consultants but excluded service contractors. The breakdown was as follows:
	
		
			  Employment type  Number FTEs 
			 Secondees to Cabinet Office 14.4 
			 Agency staff 30.4 
			 Consultants 22.5 
			 Contractors 8.2 
			 Fee-paid staff 12.2 
			   
			 Total 87.7 
		
	
	All of these staff are paid for by the Cabinet Office.
	Complete records of staff working in the Cabinet Office but being paid for by another organisation are not held centrally.
	Of the 87 FTE staff not employed by the Cabinet Office, 14.4 FTE staff were seconded-in from outside the civil service, as at 31 December 2007. These are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Secondment organisation  Number employees (FTE) 
			 Stanton Marris 1 
			 The Work Foundation 1 
			 SOCA 1 
			 Surrey County Council 1 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 1 
			 Macclesfield Council 1 
			 National Centre for Social Research 0.4 
			 Essex Police 1 
			 House of Commons 1 
			 Audit Commission 1 
			 FCO 1 
			 The Bank of England 1 
			 House of Lords 3 
		
	
	Job titles and remuneration details for each person employed in a consultancy, fee paid or agency capacity are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet: Birmingham

Gary Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost was of holding the Cabinet meeting in Birmingham in September 2008.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 796W.

Central Office of Information: Training

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what media training courses the Central Office of Information provides or commissions.

Tom Watson: The Central Office of Information offers the following type of media training courses across the public sector:
	A full day course examining how the media operate, understanding audiences and techniques required for communicating through TV and radio media, including several practice interviews.
	A half day media awareness course examining how the media operate, this includes one practice interview.
	Bespoke one-to-one training is available looking at specific issues upon request.

Childbirth

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many home births there were  (a) in total and  (b) as a percentage of all births in each region of England in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about how many home births there were a) in total and b) as a percentage of all births, in each region of England in each year since 1997. (225888)
	The latest year for which figures on home births are available is 2006. The attached tables show a) the number of women who gave birth at home in each Government Office Region of England in the years 1997-2006 and b) the number of women who gave birth at home as a percentage of all births in each region, 1997-2006.
	
		
			  Number of women giving birth at home( 1)  by Government Office Region in England, 1997  to  2006 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 336 303 261 252 289 276 280 328 324 394 
			 North West 1,162 1,039 1,010 919 866 937 1,083 1,244 1,452 1,611 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 893 949 894 985 845 877 952 1,019 1,102 1,266 
			 East Midlands 856 883 891 860 815 914 997 1,082 1,276 1,495 
			 West Midlands 1,033 949 895 836 860 807 978 979 1,146 1,207 
			 East 1,800 1,763 1,737 1,643 1,607 1,837 1,864 2,051 2,316 2,520 
			 London 2,585 2,400 2,262 2,199 2,060 2,004 2,008 2,037 2,369 2,664 
			 South East 2,899 2,805 2,731 2,584 2,464 2,569 2,667 2,835 3,220 3,530 
			 South West 2,057 2,013 1,880 1,830 1,737 1,834 1,917 1,950 2,130 2,236 
			
			 England 13,621 13,104 12,561 12,108 11,543 12,055 12,746 13,525 15,335 16,923 
			 (1). The figures provided show the number of women who. gave birth at home, i.e. home maternities, rather than the number of babies born at home. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of women giving birth at home( 1)  as a percentage of all maternities in each Government Office Region, 1997  to  2006 
			  Percentage 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 1.2 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.4 
			 North West 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.0 
			 East Midlands 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.6 3.0 
			 West Midlands 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.8 
			 East 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.6 3.8 
			 London 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.2 
			 South East 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.6 
			 South West 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.1 
			
			 England 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.7 
			 (1) The figures provided show the percentage of women who gave birth at home as a percentage of all women who gave birth, i.e. percentage of home maternity rather than the percentage of babies born at home.

Childbirth

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) live births and  (b) stillbirths there were in each region of England in 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding how many a) live births and b) stillbirths there were in each region of England in 2007. (225948)
	The table below shows the numbers of live births and stillbirths in each Government Office Region of England in 2007. The 2007 figures for the number of stillbirths is provisional, final figures will be published in Birth Statistics, Series FM1, no. 36, and the release date will be announced shortly.
	
		
			  Number of live births and provisional number of stillbirths in each Government office region of England, 2007 
			   Live births  Stillbirths( 1) 
			 North East 29,582 147 
			 North West 85,947 475 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 64,191 375 
			 East Midlands 52,482 234 
			 West Midlands 70,098 377 
			 East 69,311 307 
			 London 125,505 777 
			 South East 101,238 467 
			 South West 57,003 239 
			 England 655,357 3,398 
			 (1) Provisional

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what work the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit  (a) has undertaken and  (b) plans to undertake on climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Strategy Unit has supported work on several cross-departmental reviews of energy policy which have fed into statements of government policy including the 2007 Climate Change Strategic Framework and the 2007 Energy White Paper. In particular, the unit supported the energy and environment strand of the Policy Review, published in June 2007 and worked jointly with the then DTI and other Departments on the Energy Review Report of July 2006. The unit has no immediate plans to undertake specific work on climate change.
	Information on the Strategy Unit's work is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what work the European and Global Issues Secretariat  (a) has undertaken in the last five years and  (b) plans to undertake on climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The secretariat's role is to support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in achieving collective agreement for the Government's EU and global policy objectives, including on tackling climate change. This has included preparation and support to the Prime Minister at European Council and G8 meetings, which have been used to advance the UK Government's policy on climate change. It is established practice not to disclose the details of Cabinet Committee discussions.

Cost of Living: Southend on Sea

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the average increase in  (a) fuel prices,  (b) food prices and  (c) incomes in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated September 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the average increase in  (a) fuel prices,  (b) food prices and  (c) incomes in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997. (223423)
	Fuel and food prices for items included in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) are collected each month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Although prices are collected from across the UK, the ONS does not publish regional prices. Average increases at a national level since 1997 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/tsdtables1.asp?vlnk=mm23
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for producing household income data. However, the information is not available at the level requested.

Death: Cancer

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many people died from cancer in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people died from breast cancer in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
	1) How many people have died from cancer in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997. (224786)
	2) How many people have died from breast cancer in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997. (224788)
	The tables attached provide the numbers of deaths where (1) cancer and (2) breast cancer were the underlying cause of death in (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) North East government office region and (d) England from 1997 to 2007 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths where cancer was the underlying cause of death( 1) , Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside local authority, North East government office region, and England, 1997  to  2007( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1997 282 531 7,776 127,038 
			 1998 280 549 7,901 127,434 
			 1999 282 526 7,530 125,076 
			 2000 272 522 7,469 123,887 
			 2001 278 542 7,811 127,359 
			 2002 281 517 7,695 128,380 
			 2003 264 526 7,650 127,286 
			 2004 263 527 7,629 126,048 
			 2005 276 534 7,648 126,246 
			 2006 298 485 7,667 126,779 
			 2007 250 514 7,780 127,719 
			 (1) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140-208 for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 for the years 2001 to 2007. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2008. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Number of deaths where breast cancer was the underlying cause of death( 1) , Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside local authority, North East government office region, and England, 1997  to  2007( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1997 15 42 610 11,321 
			 1998 17 39 571 11,098 
			 1999 20 32 545 10,865 
			 2000 19 31 518 10,699 
			 2001 16 34 557 10,937 
			 2002 21 34 515 10,874 
			 2003 14 29 477 10,565 
			 2004 13 26 524 10,341 
			 2005 13 25 553 10,375 
			 2006 22 36 532 10,302 
			 2007 12 23 475 10,062 
			 (1) Cause of death for breast cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 174-175 for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C50 for the years 2001 to 2007. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2008. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, column 236W, on departmental aviation, what information on the number of flights and journeys is transferred to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund by the Cabinet Office in order to calculate the carbon offset payment to the fund.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office provides the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund information on the number of miles travelled by officials on departmental business in order to calculate the carbon offset payment to the fund. This mileage is broken down by long haul, short haul and domestic flights. No information on the number of flights is required and therefore is not provided by Cabinet Office.

Departmental Public Relations

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the policy of  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) the Central Office of Information is on the hiring by departments and executive agencies of external public relations agencies to undertake public relations work.

Tom Watson: PR consultancies can provide valuable support to Government communications work when specialist expertise, not readily available within Government, is required. When Government Departments and executive agencies are considering the use of public relations consultancies or agencies they must follow the criteria set out in the civil service 'Propriety Guidance'.
	The guidance includes the following key points:
	Public relations agencies cannot represent ministers. Only civil servants who are directly controlled and answerable to ministers may explain minister's policies and deal with media or others on their behalf;
	Public relations agencies cannot be used for any task that would be improper for a civil servant, such as opinion-forming in political support of ministers or image building; and
	Public relations agencies must not be used when internal resources are available for the task.
	The civil service Propriety Guidance is available through the following website and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/pdf/communities/gcn/guidance.pdf.

Departmental Recordings

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1046W, on departmental recordings 
	(1)  what records are kept by the Cabinet Office website or IT team of the videos stored on the departmental intranet;
	(2)  whether videos used by the Cabinet Office are produced by the Department or by others.

Tom Watson: Videos used by the Cabinet Office are produced through a partnership agreement with the Central Office of Information (COI). The majority of these films are for internal use only. Central records of all films produced across the Cabinet Office are not kept.
	The following information is recorded in respect of films uploaded onto the departmental intranet:
	category;
	creator of the film;
	CO unit;
	date submitted;
	the title of the film;
	keywords; and
	description.
	The system also records the number of viewings for each film as they occur.
	If more complex films are required management units can source other film production companies. They may also use COI's film production unit.

Departmental Video Conferencing

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by his Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has video conferencing equipment located throughout its offices in central London, Basingstoke, Birchwood and Easingwold. The equipment is utilised whenever possible to reduce travel costs and to help limit carbon emissions. The Department's travel policy requires staff, as a first step before taking any travel decisions, to consider use of video conferencing facilities. There are no plans to set any specific usage targets.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office has received 149 named day questions during the current session to the end of September. Of these, 86 were answered on the due date.

Electorate

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the average number of electors in  (a) English,  (b) Scottish,  (c) Welsh and  (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007;
	(2)  what the average number of electors in the areas covered by the  (a) English,  (b) Scottish,  (c) Welsh and  (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies which will be in effect at the next general election was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your questions asking the Secretary of State for Justice:
	1) What the average number of electors in (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007 (225861).
	2) What the average number of electors in the areas covered by the (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies which will be in effect at the next general election was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007 (225862).
	Table 1 shows the average number of parliamentary electors in (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies on existing boundaries for the years requested.
	Table 2 shows the figures on boundaries that come into effect at the next General Election. Data on these boundaries were only collected for England and Wales for 2007. For Scotland and Northern Ireland electoral data are available only on existing boundaries.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average number of parliamentary electors on existing boundaries 
			   2001  2004  2007 
			 England 70,503 70,026 71,489 
			 Wales 55,892 55,837 56,392 
			 Scotland 55,094 53,581 65,891 
			 Northern Ireland 66,498 58,085 62,241 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Average number of parliamentary electors on boundaries that come into effect at the next general election 
			   2007 
			 England 70,890 
			 Wales 56,437 
			  Source:  Office for National Statistics. General Register Office for Scotland, and Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the  (a) employment rate and  (b) the number in employment of the working age population was for (i) the UK population of working age, (ii) foreign nationals of working age, (iii) UK nationals of working age and (iv) UK born workers of working age in each quarter since 1 January 2007; and what the equivalent figures are for all persons in work irrespective of age.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated September 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) employment rate and (b) the number in employment of the working age population was for (i) the UK population of working age, (ii) foreign nationals of working age, (iii) UK nationals of working age and (iv) UK born workers of working age in each quarter since 1st January 2007; and what the equivalent figures are for all persons in work irrespective of age. (223544)
	The attached tables give the number of people in the categories requested together with the corresponding rates from 1 January 2007. Table 1 shows the working age estimates (16-64 for men and 16-59 for women); table 2 shows the estimates for those aged 16 and over.
	The data for analysing employment comes from the Labour Force Survey. Estimates according to nationality are based on the nationality of people at a given time in the LFS.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employment of working age( 1)  population by nationality and country of birth, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Employment level (Thousand)  Employment rate( 2)  (Percentage) 
			 2007 Q1 UK population 27,776 74 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 1,978 67 
			   UK nationals(3) 25,794 75 
			   UK born 24,529 75 
			  
			 2007 Q2 UK population 27,895 74 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 2,103 68 
			   UK nationals(3) 25,784 75 
			   UK born 24,508 75 
			  
			 2007 Q3 UK population 28,146 75 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 2,113 69 
			   UK nationals(3) 26,023 75 
			   UK born 24,694 76 
			  
			 2007 Q4 UK population 28,232 75 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 2,173 68 
			   UK nationals(3) 26,050 76 
			   UK born 24,718 76 
			  
			 2008 Q1 UK population 28,131 75 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 2,254 69 
			   UK nationals(3) 25,870 75 
			   UK born 24,547 75 
			  
			 2008 Q2 UK population 28,152 75 
			   Foreign nationals(3) 2,266 69 
			   UK nationals(3) 25,882 75 
			   UK born 24,532 75 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) The employment rate is the number of people in employment as a percentage of the total number in the relevant group. (3) Foreign and UK nationals may not add to the UK population levels due to those who did not state their nationality.  Note: It should be noted that the estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.).  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment of population aged 16 and over by nationality and country of birth, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Employment level (Thousand)  Employment rate( 1)  (Percentage) 
			 2007 Q1 UK population 28,978 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,021 61 
			   UK nationals(2) 26,953 60 
			   UK born 25,622 60 
			  
			 2007 Q2 UK population 29,100 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,143 62 
			   UK nationals(2) 26,949 60 
			   UK born 25,616 60 
			  
			 2007 Q3 UK population 29,382 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,152 63 
			   UK nationals(2) 27,219 60 
			   UK born 25,825 60 
			  
			 2007 Q4 UK population 29,488 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,208 63 
			   UK nationals(2) 27,271 60 
			   UK born 25,878 60 
			  
			 2008 Q1 UK population 29,438 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,290 64 
			   UK nationals(2) 27,141 60 
			   UK born 25,755 60 
			  
			 2008 Q2 UK population 29,475 60 
			   Foreign nationals(2) 2,304 63 
			   UK nationals(2) 27,167 60 
			   UK born 25,759 60 
			 (1) The employment rate is the number of people in employment as a percentage of the total number in the relevant group. (2) Foreign and UK nationals may not add to the UK population levels due to those who did not state their nationality.  Note: It should be noted that the estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.).  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the  (a) growth and  (b) rate of percentage change in employment level for (i) UK citizens, (ii) non-UK citizens, (iii) UK born persons and (iv) non-UK born persons for people of working age was in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) growth and (b) rate of percentage change in employment level for (i) UK citizens, (ii) non-UK citizens, (iii) UK born persons and (iv) non-UK born persons for people of working age was in each year since 1997. (226214)
	The attached table provides the figures requested for April-June in each year. In the table, UK citizens are defined as those who report their nationality as UK at the time of the survey.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Changes in Employment level for working age population( 1)  by nationality and country of birth( 2) : April to June 1997  to  2008—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  T housand (except where indicated) 
			   UK nationals  Non UK nationals  UK born  Non UK born 
			   Change on previous year  Change as a percentage  Change on previous year  Change as a percentage  Change on previous year  Change as a percentage  Change on previous year  Change as a percentage 
			 1997 360 1.5 95 11.2 330 1.4 123 6.9 
			 1998 135 0.6 92 9.8 134 0.6 92 4.8 
			 1999 391 1.6 -42 -4.1 329 1.4 19 1.0 
			 2000 244 1.0 115 11.6 265 1.1 94 4.6 
			 2001 174 0.7 71 6.4 156 0.6 85 4.0 
			 2002 72 0.3 85 7.2 17 0.1 143 6.5 
			 2003 141 0.6 94 7.4 80 0.3 156 6.6 
			 2004 41 0.2 111 8.1 71 0.3 82 3.3 
			 2005 149 0.6 103 7.0 87 0.4 161 6.2 
			 2006 -95 -0.4 265 16.9 -179 -0.7 352 12.8 
			 2007 -154 -0.6 266 14.5 -162 -0.7 272 8.8 
			 2008 98 0.4 163 7.7 24 0.1 241 7.1 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. 2 Excludes those who did not state their nationality/country of birth.  Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the employment  (a) level and  (b) rate for (i) UK citizens, (ii) non-UK citizens, (iii) EU14 citizens, (iv) A8 citizens and (v) citizens from the rest of the world of working age was in each quarter since 2004.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the employment (a) level and (b) rate for (i) UK citizens, (ii) non-UK citizens, (iii) EU14 citizens, (iv) A8 citizens and (v) citizens from the rest of the world of working age was in each quarter since 2004. (226215)
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of employed people of working age (16-64 for men and 16-59 for women) in each category. Table 2 shows the corresponding employment rates. In the tables, citizenship is defined as the nationality reported by respondents at the time of the survey. The tables exclude those whose nationality is not known.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employment level for people of working age( 1) , by nationality United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			UK  Non-UK  EU14( 2)  A8( 3)  Rest of world( 4) 
			 2004 Q1 25,934 1,408 480 51 877 
			  Q2 25,883 1,469 485 63 921 
			  Q3 26,122 1,472 466 82 923 
			  Q4 26,097 1,573 486 103 984 
			
			 2005 Q1 25,996 1,594 489 104 1,001 
			  Q2 26,032 1,572 468 141 963 
			  Q3 26,276 1,623 475 175 973 
			  Q4 26,048 1,692 482 209 1,000 
			
			 2006 Q1 25,969 1,764 470 240 1,053 
			  Q2 25,938 1,837 452 252 1,132 
			  Q3 26,085 1,913 451 297 1,165 
			  Q4 25,991 1,962 478 344 1,141 
			
			 2007 Q1 25,794 1,978 502 368 1,107 
			  Q2 25,784 2,103 509 431 1,163 
			  Q3 26,023 2,113 509 430 1,175 
			  Q4 26,050 2,173 505 469 1,199 
			 2008 Q1 25,870 2,254 522 500 1,232 
			  Q2(5) *25,882 *2,266 **523 **498 *1,244 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) EU14 comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. (3) A8 comprises Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. (4) Rest of world excludes UK, EU14 and A8. (5) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described as follows:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 < CV< 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 < CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 < CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Note:  It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment rates for people of working age( 1) , by nationality United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			UK  Non-UK  EU14( 2)  A8( 3)  Rest of world( 4) 
			 2004 Q1 75.3 63.1 69.2 61.5 60.2 
			  Q2 75.1 64.8 71.1 79.3 61.2 
			  Q3 75.6 65.1 72.7 73.8 61.3 
			  Q4 75.7 65.5 75.3 75.2 60.7 
			
			 2005 Q1 75.3 65.7 73.5 75.3 61.7 
			  Q2 75.3 63.9 71.3 81.9 59.0 
			  Q3 75.9 65.2 72.0 80.9 60.3 
			  Q4 75.2 66.3 70.9 82.7 61.9 
			
			 2006 Q1 75.0 67.0 72.4 82.7 62.2 
			  Q2 74.9 68.0 72.6 82.8 63.8 
			  Q3 75.3 69.2 74.9 81.6 64.8 
			  Q4 75.2 68.7 74.5 81.8 63.6 
			
			 2007 Q1 74.7 66.9 74.4 81.1 60.6 
			  Q2 74.9 67.9 73.0 82.1 62.1 
			  Q3 75.4 68.6 74.4 83.6 62.5 
			  Q4 75.6 68.3 74.8 84.0 61.6 
			
			 2008 Q1 75.1 69.2 75.5 83.1 62.8 
			  Q2 75.1 68.9 75.0 84.5 62.2 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2 )EU14 comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. (3) A8 comprises Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. (4) Rest of world excludes UK, EU14 and A8.  Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey

Higher Civil Servants: Car Allowances

Gary Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what mileage rate for motoring expenses is paid to senior civil servants.

Tom Watson: The Department does not provide central rules regarding levels of reimbursement of car mileage undertaken on Government business. Departments and agencies have delegated authority to reimburse the expenses incurred by their own staff, including senior civil servants, in connection with their employment subject to the conditions set out in Section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/iam/codes/csmc/online_report/8.asp
	Copies of the Civil Service Management Code are available in the Libraries of the House.

Internet

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether webmail accounts are blocked in the offices of  (a) 10 Downing Street and  (b) the Cabinet Office.

Tom Watson: Access to webmail accounts from the corporate IT networks in the Cabinet Office is tightly controlled to mitigate any threat that such accounts may pose to the integrity, security and availability of Government data.

Local Government: Contracts

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether local government employers were consulted before the decision was made to extend the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Advice and Trade Unions in Government Contracting to local government.

Tom Watson: holding answer 17 September 2008
	No decision has yet been taken to extend the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting, which aims to improve the quality of services delivered under Government contracts by raising the skills of employees working on these contracts. This is explicitly stated in the Joint Statement. The Local Government Employers' organisation agreed to hold a consultation with local authorities to seek views on the application of the Joint Statement to local government.

Media Monitoring Unit

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his policy is on the release to third parties of transcripts of broadcast interviews  (a) produced and  (b) commissioned by the Media Monitoring Unit at public expense.

Tom Watson: The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) produces transcripts commissioned by Government Departments. Transcripts are then distributed to Government Departments.

Office of the Third Sector: Consultants

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Office of the Third Sector spent on outside consultancy in financial year  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) has engaged outside consultants for specialist recruitment exercises for senior public appointments, for procurement exercises and for the development and/or review of data sources, policies and programmes. The OTS spent just over £590,000 on consultancy in 2007-08, excluding VAT.
	Details of outside consultancy spend in 2008-09 will only be available when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.

Office of the Third Sector: Manpower

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff are employed by the Office of the Third Sector.

Kevin Brennan: As at 30 September 2008, The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) employed 66 staff. This includes all staff paid by OTS. The figure includes 57 staff in post and nine staff not currently working in the office, such as staff on maternity leave, short term appointments and staff on long term sick leave.

Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1307W, on official residences: repairs and maintenance, what the  (a) nature and  (b) purpose was of the work incurred on Project Silent Night.

Tom Watson: The expenditure in 2000-01 was to convert rooms into office accommodation.

Private Sector: Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting, whether private sector firms with public sector contracts who provide information to their employees about trade union membership will be  (a) required or  (b) encouraged by the Cabinet Office to include information about union members' rights to opt out of the political levy.

Tom Watson: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting provides an Annex containing information on skills, trade unions and advice which service providers may be asked to distribute to employees. Both this Annex and the Joint Statement are available in the Library of the House. The Annex sets out employees' legal rights concerning trade union membership and other basic information relevant to the workplace and, like the whole Joint Statement, was agreed by Government, union and private and third sector representatives.
	Not all unions have a political fund or levy, but it is a legal requirement for union members to be informed about the right to opt out of these. The Joint Statement Annex supplied to employees refers them to sources which explain the rules regarding political levies.

Public Services Forum Task Group

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on which dates the Public Services Forum Task Group has met; and if he will place in the Library copies of the agendas and minutes of each meeting.

Tom Watson: holding answer 31 March 2008
	Details of task groups' meetings, such as agendas and minutes, are not generally disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of discussions.

Training: Prime Minister

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what diversity training is provided to new staff as part of their induction process in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Diversity training is incorporated into all aspects of Human Resources including the induction of new entrants.

Unemployed: Young People

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) UK citizens and  (b) people in the UK aged 16 to 24 years old were unemployed in each quarter of the last two years for which figures are available; and what the employment rate of each group was in each such quarter.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated September 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many  (a) UK citizens and  (b) people in the UK aged 16 to 24 years old were unemployed in each quarter of the last two years for which figures are available; and what the employment rate of each group was in each such quarter. (223547)
	The attached table gives the number of people unemployed in the categories requested together with the corresponding employment rates from quarter 2 2006.
	The data for analysing unemployment and employment comes from the Labour Force Survey. UK citizens have been defined as UK nationals for the purpose of answering your question. Estimates according to nationality are based on the nationality of people at a given time in the LFS.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployment levels, United Kingdom 
			  Not seasonally adjusted (thousand) 
			Aged 16+  Aged 16 to 24 (inclusive) 
			UK total  UK nationals  UK total  UK nationals 
			 2006 Q2 1,649 1,478 654 608 
			 2006 Q3 1,773 1,590 797 740 
			 2006 Q4 1,662 1,488 676 621 
			 2007 Q1 1,692 1,502 669 612 
			 2007 Q2 1,621 1,434 675 617 
			 2007 Q3 1,731 1,558 806 751 
			 2007 Q4 1,563 1,395 663 616 
			 2008 Q1 1,610 1,431 642 586, 
			 2008 Q2 1,643 1,468 676 622 
			  Note:  The estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).   Source:  Labour Force Survey (LFS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment rates( 1) , United Kingdom 
			  Not seasonally adjusted (percentage) 
			Aged 16+  Aged 16 to 24 (inclusive) 
			UK total  UK nationals  UK total  UK nationals 
			 2006 Q2 60 60 58 58 
			 2006 Q3 60 60 61 61 
			 2006 Q4 60 60 60 60 
			 2007 Q1 60 60 57 58 
			 2007 Q2 60 60 57 57 
			 2007 Q3 60 60 59 60 
			 2007 Q4 60 60 59 60 
			 2008 Q1 60 60 57 58 
			 2008 Q2 60 60 56 57 
			 (1) The employment rate is the number of people in employment as a percentage of all persons in the relevant group.   Note:  The estimates exclude people in most types of "communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).   Source:  Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Unemployment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were unemployed in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last six months.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were unemployed in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last six months. (225850)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and model based estimates following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. These are available only for rolling 4 quarter periods. The latest available estimates cover the 12 months ending September 2007 and December 2007 and are 2,000 for Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and 5,000 for the London Borough of Bexley in both periods.
	Table 1 attached shows the number of persons claiming Job Seeker's Allowance resident in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and the London Borough of Bexley for each of the last six months.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis® website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons claiming  job s eeker's allowance  resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and the London  b orough of Bexley 
			   Bexleyheath and Crayford  Bexley 
			 March 2008 794 2,252 
			 April 2008 804 2,305 
			 May 2008 793 2,323 
			 June 2008 785 2,302 
			 July 2008 828 2,320 
			 August 2008 866 2,511 
			  Source: Job Centre Plus Administrative System

Unemployment: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were unemployed in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last six months for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 6 October 2008
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 13 October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking how many people were unemployed in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last six months for which figures are available. (224481)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and model based estimates following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The APS classifies as unemployed people who are without a job, who were available to start work in the two weeks following their APS interview and who had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or are waiting to start a job already obtained.
	Table 1, attached, shows the numbers of people aged 16 and over who were unemployed and resident in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area for the 12 month periods ending March 2008, which is the most recent period for which estimates are available, and September and December 2007. As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics's Nomis® website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk.
	
		
			  Number of unemployed persons( 1)  resident in West Chelmsford constituency and Chelmsford local authority 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  West Chelmsford( 2)  Chelmsford LA( 3) 
			 September 2007 2 3 
			 December 2007 2 3 
			 March 2008(4) ****2 ***3 
			 (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2) Annual Population Survey estimates. (3) Model-based estimates. (4) CVs have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality.  Guide to Quality The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220  Key Coefficient of Statistical Robustness Variation (CV) (%)  * 0 < CV <5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 < CV<10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 < CV <20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes.  Source:  ONS Annual Population Survey and Model Based Estimates.

Unemployment: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people living in  (a) Leeds and  (b) Yorkshire were unemployed in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people living in (a) Leeds and (b) Yorkshire were unemployed in each of the last 12 months. (226394)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics for local areas such as Leeds using model based estimates and for regions such as Yorkshire and The Humber using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The model based estimates for Leeds are available only for rolling four quarter periods. The latest available estimates cover the twelve months ending September 2007 and December 2007 and are provided in Table 1. The estimates for Yorkshire and The Humber from the LFS are available for rolling three monthly periods and the latest available estimates are provided in Table 2.
	Table 3 gives the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance resident in Leeds and Yorkshire and The Humber for each of the last twelve months.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis® website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons unemployed( 1)  resident in Leeds 
			  12 months ending  Leeds  (T housand) 
			 September 2007 23 
			 23 December 2007(2) *** 23 
			 (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2 )Coefficients of variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See guide to quality as follows.  Guide to quality:  The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180  Key Coefficient of statistical robustness variation (CV) ( % ) * 0 < CV <5 Estimates are considered precise.  ** 5 < CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise.  *** 10 < CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable.  **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes.  Source:  Model based estimates. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of persons unemployed( 1)  resident in Yorkshire and the Humber 
			  3 months ending  Yorkshire and the Humber ( T housand) 
			 August 2007 147 
			 September 2007 138 
			 October 2007 138 
			 November 2007 138 
			 December 2007 137 
			 January 2008 130 
			 February 2008 134 
			 March 2008 131 
			 April 2008 142 
			 May 2008 145 
			 June 2008 159 
			 July 2008(2) **162 
			 (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2 )Coefficients of variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See guide to quality as follows.  Guide to quality:  The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180  Key Coefficient of statistical robustness variation (CV) ( % ) * 0 < CV <5 Estimates are considered precise.  ** 5 < CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise.  *** 10 < CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable.  **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes.  Source:  Model based estimates. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of persons claiming jobseeker's allowance resident in Leeds and Yorkshire and the Humber 
			   Leeds  Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 September 2007 12,447 77,993 
			 October 2007 12,039 75,008 
			 November 2007 11,785 73,470 
			 December 2007 11,922 74,884 
			 January 2008 12,424 79,148 
			 February 2008 12,628 81,294 
			 March 2008 12,545 80,576 
			 April 2008 12,475 80,214 
			 May 2008 12583 80,263 
			 June 2008 12,689 80,827 
			 July 2008 13,384 84,704 
			 August 2008 14,165 90,020 
			  Source:  Job Centre Plus Administrative System.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedure will operate in relation to the UK's Atlantic seabed claim around Ascension Island; what the deadline is for objections to be made; who may object; what the deadline is for a decision on the claim; for what reasons the UK has made the claim; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In accordance with article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, on 9 May 2008, the UK submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline of Ascension Island.
	Under the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, the executive summary of the submission was made public and circulated to all UN member states (a copy can be found at:
	http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_gbr.htm
	A period of at least three months then had to follow before the submission could be formally heard by the Commission, during which time any and all member states of the United Nations had the right to transmit Notes Verbale making observations on, or objecting to, the submission.
	No such observations or objections having been made, the UK formally presented its submission to the Commission in New York on 27 August 2008.
	We expect that the Commission will now proceed to establish a sub-commission of seven members to examine the UK submission. The time scale for this will depend on the overall work load of the Commission. There is no deadline for a decision.
	Once satisfied, the Commission will make its recommendations to the UK regarding the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf around Ascension Island. In line with the provisions of the convention, the limits subsequently established shall be final and binding in international law.
	In 2006, the UK made another submission to the Commission—jointly with France, Ireland and Spain—in respect of the sea bed in the bay of Biscay. We await the Commission's recommendations.
	UK officials and scientists are also in the process of examining two further areas of continental shelf where the geological conditions may exist to justify further submissions—in the 'Hatton Rockall Area' of the North East Atlantic, and around the Falkland Island islands and South Georgia. In both instances, the UK will take appropriate action before May 2009, as required by the convention.
	The UK has confirmed to the Commission that it is not submitting data for the continental shelf around the British Antarctic Territory, but that it reserves the right to do so in future.
	The UK—and many other countries—is taking these actions in order to safeguard for the future its sovereign rights over its continental shelf, where the conditions laid down by the convention allow. It is an orderly process, entirely in line with international law, and recognised by the UN General Assembly.

British Overseas Territories: Historic Buildings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many historic assets there are in each of the British overseas territories; what estimate he has made of the value of such overseas heritage assets; whether there is a registered list of overseas assets; and who has responsibility for managing such overseas assets.

Gillian Merron: The British overseas territories have listed the following historical assets. As agreed with my hon. Friend, these include historical and heritage sites covering churches, forts, caves, cemeteries, buildings and officially recognised World Heritage sites:
	
		
			  Overseas territory  Number of heritage/historical sites 
			 Anguilla 88 
			 Ascension 43 
			 Bermuda (1)874 
			 British Antarctic Territory 26 
			 British Indian Ocean Territories 14 
			 British Virgin Islands 240 
			 Cayman Islands 12 
			 Cyprus SBAs 7 
			 Falkland Islands 50 
			 Gibraltar 151 
			 Montserrat 35 
			 Pitcairn 2 
			 St. Helena 11 
			 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands 9 
			 Tristan da Cunha 2 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands (2)— 
			 (1 )The figure for Bermuda includes buildings of architectural interest as well as historical and heritage sites. A separate list of historical and heritage sites does not exist. (2) Figures are currently unavailable. Due to recent hurricane activity in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We will forward details as soon as they are available. 
		
	
	An estimate of the value of these assets has not been carried out. Most of the overseas territories maintain a list or register of their historical and heritage sites. These sites are owned by overseas territory Governments, private individuals, who own the majority of the sites, non-governmental organisations and, in very few cases, by the British Government, for example the Governor's former residence in Plymouth, Montserrat and land and properties in the British Indian ocean territories. The responsibility for managing the sites lies with the owner of the individual site in accordance with local legislation and regulations.

Iran: Nuclear Power

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy is expected next to meet Iranian nuclear negotiators to discuss Iran's nuclear programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: There are no such meetings scheduled at present. However, the E3+3 engagement offer remains on the table, and Javier Solana will continue to make himself available for a meeting with the Iranians on behalf of the E3+3.

Iran: United Nations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to meet next his counterparts from the permanent membership of the UN Security Council and Germany to discuss a new UN Security Council Resolution on Iran; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UK, US, France, Germany, Russia and China hold a close dialogue on the Iranian nuclear issue, and met at official and ministerial levels during the recent UN General Assembly. The result was the unanimous adoption of new Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1835 on 27 September, which calls upon Iran to comply without delay to the requirements of UNSCRs 1969, 1737, 1747 and 1803 and suspend its nuclear programme. Consultations between all six states continue.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has received from the Contingency Reserve in respect of the civilian costs of crisis management in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each of the last five years; what contingency funding is foreseen; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: All funding received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from the Treasury Reserve is reported to Parliament as part of the estimates process. The FCO does not hold disaggregated information relating to the civilian costs of crisis management in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Any future requests for funding will be reported through the estimates process in the usual way.

Somalia: Piracy

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement the UK has in counter-piracy measures in and around Somali waters.

Gillian Merron: We have been working with EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners to consider options to counter-piracy in the region, both directly and through development activity to undermine it at its roots. In support of UN Security Council resolution 1816, the EU has set up a cell in Brussels to co-ordinate EU activity in the region, and the EU and NATO are considering options to undertake further naval action. We have also supported the French drafting of a new UN Security Council resolution which aims to strengthen the international community's response to piracy.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a report has been made available by the UN on the recent conflict in Abyei, Sudan; and what effect on the operation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement the conflict has had.

Gillian Merron: The fighting in Abyei in mid-May could have posed a serious threat to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The National Congress party and Sudan People's Liberation Movement have shown their commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement by agreeing a Roadmap on 8 June to resolve the Abyei dispute which has been an obstacle to implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We are working with both parties and with international partners to implement fully the Abyei Roadmap and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
	We expect the UN to report on the Abyei conflict in the next report of the Secretary-General on the Sudan, which is due in November.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) EU and  (b) UN Security Council member counterparts on the situation in Darfur.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN have had regular discussions with EU and UN Security Council partners on the Darfur peace process and the deployment of the UN-Africa Union peacekeeping mission, including most recently at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24-27 September. The Foreign Secretary, on his visit to Khartoum on 9 July, also raised the situation in Darfur with President Bashir of Sudan.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the expected date of completion of the trial of Uganda opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: There has been no date set for the completion of Dr. Besigye's trial. It was put on hold pending the outcome of a petition to the Constitutional Court, made by Dr. Besigye's lawyers in May 2007.
	We continue to follow the case closely and remain in contact with the defence team. In the course of our regular dialogue with the Government of Uganda, we continue to press them on all aspects of good governance and the rule of law.

Visits Abroad

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have not received an official visit from a Minister since the last general election.

Gillian Merron: There are no centrally held records of ministerial overseas visits, therefore this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the UN Human Rights Commissioner to release the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights' report on the visit of its mission to Rabat, Laayoune, and Tindouf between 15th and 23rd May 2006 and Algiers on 19th June 2006.

Gillian Merron: The office of the high commissioner for human rights visited Morocco, Western Sahara, refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria), and Algiers in May to June 2006 to gather information on the human rights situation. The office of the high commissioner for human rights shared its report privately with Morocco, Algeria and the Polisario on 8 September 2006, but did not publish it, in line with terms of reference agreed by all parties prior to the visit. The UN high commissioner for human rights continues to maintain the position that the report should remain an internal document, not for official publication, and the UK respects this decision.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Businesses: Fees and Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the likely effect on businesses of the imposition by local authorities of  (a) infrastructure levies,  (b) congestion charges and  (c) workplace parking taxes over each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: Decisions as to whether to introduce congestion charging and work place parking taxes schemes are for local authorities to take. No work place parking taxes schemes are operative at present. It is not possible for the Government to predict what level of charges might be imposed on business by these schemes over the next three years as potential revenues are subject to too many variables to be able to offer the House a meaningful estimate.
	The Government are in the process of legislating for the introduction of a new community infrastructure levy (CIL) through clauses in the Planning Bill, now before Parliament. The Bill empowers, but does not require, authorities to introduce a CIL. Again, as a discretionary tool, it will be for individual authorities to decide whether to adopt CIL and the level of CIL that should apply in their local areas.

Canatxx: Natural Gas

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Ministers and officials from her Department have met representatives of Canatxx Ltd to discuss gas storage facilities in the UK.

Iain Wright: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. Details of meetings between Ministers and outside interest groups are provided on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/about/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/
	After the Secretary of State issued her decision to refuse planning permission for development of a natural gas storage facility at Preesall Saltfield, Fleetwood, Lancashire on 16 October 2007, policy officials met with representatives of Canatxx Ltd on 6 December 2007 to discuss general policy on gas storage facilities.

Council Housing: Private Finance Initiative

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the economic situation on the delivery of private finance initiative housing projects; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department is monitoring the situation and working closely with all PFI schemes to help support them in finding solutions where difficulties arise.

Council Tax: Concessions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities may demand internal inspections of domestic dwellings as a condition of applying a single person's council tax discount.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 1987-88W.

Departmental Accountancy

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent under general ledger account numbers 40017 and 60002 in the latest year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: General Ledger account number 40017 is titled "Furniture and fittings" and expenditure in 2007-08 was £3,182,099. This expenditure was largely on projects to rationalise and improve utilisation of the Department's headquarters office accommodation. Account code 60002 is not used and there was no expenditure recorded against it in 2007-08.

Departmental Consultations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to hold online consultations in the next two years.

Sadiq Khan: All public consultations that the Department undertake are available online. As the new Code of Practice on Consultation makes clear, consultation exercises are designed to be accessible to, and clearly targeted at, those people the exercise is aimed to reach. Therefore due consideration is given to this issue before deciding on how we actually consult. However, we would always make hard copies available of our public consultations on request.
	The Department is aware of the opportunities that technology offers to improve the effectiveness of our consultations. Communities and Local Government have used online surveys as part of public consultation and will continue to do so when appropriate to inform the policy making process. The following list sets out examples of consultations where we have used online technology from November 2007 to October 2008.
	 Consultations
	Local Petitions/Community Calls for Action;
	Empowerment White Paper;
	Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities Statutory Guidance;
	The Future of Building Controls; and
	The New Place Survey Consultation.

Departmental Contracts

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on subscriptions to overseas bodies under general ledger account number 40104 in the latest year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: There was no expenditure recorded against this code in 2007-08.

Departmental Manpower

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on agency staff under general ledger account number 40002 in the latest year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department spent £21,666,709 on temporary or agency staff in the financial year 2007-08.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 538W.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what agencies or units for which her Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government does not require the public to make telephone calls on numbers which charge more than the national rate. The Department does not derive revenue from callers dialling its contact numbers.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day her Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Sadiq Khan: In the period 6 November 2007 to 10 October 2008, Communities and Local Government received 4,445 written parliamentary questions, including 716 for answer on a named day. Of the 716,389 (54 per cent.) were answered on the due date and a further 209 (29 per cent.) were answered within a working week of the date for answer.

Eco-Towns: Greenfield Sites

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of greenfield land she estimates to be developed in each eco-town.

Iain Wright: We are still consulting on the shortlisted locations for eco-towns and decisions on locations with potential to become eco-towns will be taken early in 2009, and updated information was included on the sites in "Eco-towns—living a greener future: progress report", published on 24 July 2008. The Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) will shortly be published for consultation, and in the SA there will be more details about each of the shortlisted locations, including development on greenfield land. Copies of the SA and draft PPS will be placed in the House Library.

Eco-Towns: Planning

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether full planning inquiries will be held into eco-town proposals which are not already allocated in local authority structure plans, local development frameworks or regional spatial strategies.

Iain Wright: The processes for the preparation of a regional spatial strategy and for development plan documents, which form part of the local development framework, provide for an independent examination to be held. Where proposals for eco-towns are identified in either the regional spatial strategy or in development plan documents, these would form part of the considerations at independent examination.
	As is the case with any other proposal, planning applications for eco-towns will be decided on their merits, firstly by the local planning authority. If the application is refused planning consent and subsequently appealed by the applicant, the appeal would be handled by the Planning Inspectorate. One of the ways of hearing the appeal would be through a planning inquiry.

Eco-Towns: Planning

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will publish the draft Planning Policy Statement on eco-towns.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 309W.

Eco-Towns: Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses have been received on eco-towns consultations; and what the deadlines are for responses to such consultations.

Iain Wright: We have completed the first stage of consultation on "Eco-towns—living a greener future", which sought views on the principles of eco-towns and the shortlisted locations. This ran from April to the end of June and we will shortly be publishing a summary report of the responses received, including numbers of responses. The second stage of consultation will begin shortly and this will be on the draft Planning Policy Statement and Sustainability Appraisal, and will be a public consultation running for three months.

Eco-Towns: Sustainable Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum Code for Sustainable Homes level will be that homes in eco-towns built before 2016 will have to meet.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave her on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 306W.

Electoral Register

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the outcome of neighbourhood management pathfinders against objectives to increase electoral registration.

John Healey: The 35 neighbourhood management pathfinders aim to help deprived communities and local service providers work together at the neighbourhood level to improve and join up local services. No assessment has been made of the pathfinders' contribution to increasing electoral registration rates as this does not form one of their objectives.

Environment Protection

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether tree safety inspections required by her Department will require homeowners to pay a specialist to examine regularly their garden trees.

Iain Wright: The Department does not require safety inspections to be carried out on trees in private gardens. We have no proposals to make such inspections compulsory.

Fire Services: Manpower

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters there were per 100,000 residents in  (a) England,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) Chesterfield in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: Information on the number of firefighters per 100,000 population in Derbyshire and England is set out in the table. Information for UK and Chesterfield is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table: Firefighters per 100,000 population 
			   Derbyshire  England 
			 1997-98 90 92 
			 1998-99 87 92 
			 1999-00 90 91 
			 2000-01 87 91 
			 2001-02 88 90 
			 2002-03 83 90 
			 2003-04 85 90 
			 2004-05 85 89 
			 2005-06 82 89 
			 2006-07 81 89 
			  Source:  Annual returns to Communities and local government.

Fire Services: Pensions

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reasons the commutation factors used in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme were not revised between 1998 and 2008;
	(2)  when her Department was advised by the Government Actuary's Department of the desirability of revising the commutation factors used in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme leading to the adoption of new factors in May 2008; and if she will place in the Library copies of subsequent correspondence between her Department and the Government Actuary's Department on the commutation factors used in the Scheme.

Sadiq Khan: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 allows a member to commute part of their pension for a lump sum. This is the actuarial equivalent of the commuted portion calculated from tables provided by the Government Actuary.
	The then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister raised issues relating to commutation with the Government Actuary's Department on 23 December 2005 as part of the continuing review of the pension arrangements for firefighters. GAD responded on 22 August 2006 setting out the assumptions which would be adopted in determining new factors. Following extensive discussions with GAD and the Home Office, GAD recommended new factors for the 1992 scheme and the Police Pension Scheme, in which similar commutation arrangements apply. Subsequently, HM Treasury agreed that the new tables should be backdated to 1 October 2007.
	Retired firefighters, who did not benefit from the new factors, are now lodging grievances with the Department and these are currently being considered.
	Copies of the letters of 23 December 2005 and 22 August 2006 have been placed in the Library.

Housing Associations: Fraud

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the level of fraud perpetuated against housing associations.

Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation has issued guidance to registered social landlords (RSLs) (Circular 07/07—Internal Controls Assurance) which states that RSLs should report cases of actual or attempted fraudulent activity to the relevant field director at the Corporation at the earliest opportunity. The report should include actions taken or to be taken by the RSL. Each regional office of the Housing Corporation maintains a list of fraudulent activity that has been reported to them.
	In June 2008, the Corporation had a record of 107 cases of fraud/attempted fraud reported to it by RSLs in the last three years. Of these, 36 cases were still under investigation in June. The total amount of fraud in the 107 cases equates to £3,540,082, although this figure is subject to variation where the value of the fraud is not known or an estimate of the value has been provided by the RSL. In the majority of cases where the outcome of an investigation is known, funds were recovered.

Housing: Construction

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether there are plans to revise the house building targets in the new regional spatial strategies as a consequence of the downturn in the housing market.

Iain Wright: Regional spatial strategies (RSS) are strategic high level development plans with a 15 to 20-year life-span and housing targets in them reflect the long term need for housing over that period rather than the level of supply at any particular point in the economic cycle. RSSs must continue to reflect the long term housing need. Although the Government recognise the current challenges faced by our housing markets, in the long term it remains committed to increasing supply to 240,000 homes. Further RSS reviews will be undertaken to test both the long term need and capacity in each region.

Housing: Ex-servicemen

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many ex-service personnel in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as council tenants in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many ex-service personnel in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as homeless in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Information about the number of ex-service personnel who are council tenants is not collected centrally.
	Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level, in respect of households rather than individuals. The parliamentary constituency of Jarrow falls within two local authority districts: South Tyneside and Gateshead.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure suitable accommodation).
	Since 2005-06, data have been collected on the number of accepted households whose reason for loss of last settled home was having left HM Forces. Data for England, the North East, and the districts of South Tyneside and Gateshead are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Main reason for loss of last settled home due to having left HM Forces 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 268 204 218 
			 North East 41 27 32 
			 
			 South Tyneside 1 0 3 
			 Gateshead (1)— 17 16 
			 (1 )Data not reported.   Source:  Quarterly P1E homelessness return. 
		
	
	Information about homeless acceptances is also collected by category of "priority need" of the applicant. This includes applicants who have priority need primarily because they are vulnerable as a result of having served in HM Forces. These data are shown in the following table, for the same areas:
	
		
			  Household accepted with primary priority need of being vulnerable as result of having served in HM Forces 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 104 95 73 53 36 
			 North East 17 17 14 14 11 
			   
			 South Tyneside 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Gateshead (1)— (1)— (1)— 9 8 
			 (1)( )Data not reported.   Source:  Quarterly P1E homelessness return. 
		
	
	The two sets of figures above will overlap because some homeless acceptances who are ex-service personnel will fall within both (that is, in priority need because they were vulnerable as a result of having served in HM Forces, and the reason for loss of their last settled home is due to leaving Forces accommodation).
	It is also likely that some ex-service personnel will be hidden within other priority need categories (for example the presence of dependent children) or other reasons for loss of last settled home (for example, having to leave the family home), and so will not be identifiable in the above figures. It is therefore not possible to identify what proportion of all homeless acceptances are ex-service personnel.
	Local authorities who conduct rough sleeper counts collect information on any individuals sleeping rough, and these are published annually on our website. Figures include those rough sleepers who have previously served in HM Forces, but these are not shown separately.
	Rough sleeping among ex-armed forces personnel has dropped. There are no specific data for 1997 but studies at the time suggested between a quarter and one fifth of rough sleepers had been in the armed forces at some stage. There is specific information for London provided under the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) recording system. In 2006-07, for those rough sleepers in London contacted by services, 5 per cent. had spent some time in the armed forces in the past. This has remained consistent over the last four years.
	The Ministry of Defence provides advice and support to veterans with housing problems. All ex-service personnel facing homelessness are advised to contact the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency via its free phone helpline or Veterans UK website to access specific help.

Housing: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with insurance companies on requiring repairs to houses affected by flooding to make residences more flood resilient, with particular reference to  (a) installation of electrical sockets higher up and  (b) the replacement of wooden skirting boards with a water-resistant version.

Iain Wright: The issue of flood resilient repairs has formed part of discussions between Ministers and the Association of British Insurers on a number of occasions since the summer 2007 floods, in particular in October 2007 and January 2008.

Housing: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to ensure future housing provision to meet London's housing needs.

Iain Wright: Planning for housing provision in London is primarily a matter for the Mayor of London and the boroughs. Both carry out studies to assess the housing requirements and potential of their areas. These studies provide evidence to inform housing supply targets, for inclusion in their regional and local development plans.
	The Mayor's London Plan sets a London-wide target to provide a minimum of 30,500 homes per year and targets for each borough. As required by Government, the new Mayor is updating the London-wide evidence base on housing requirements and potential, to inform new housing supply targets for inclusion in a revised London Plan by 2012 at the latest.
	Government provide funding for affordable housing. In London, around £3 billion of public funding through the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme is being invested over three years, 2008 to 2011, to deliver substantial numbers of affordable homes to help meet housing need.

Housing: Heating

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what regulations and guidance her Department and its predecessors have issued on the use of non-barrier piping for central heating systems in the last 15 years.

Iain Wright: None—the England and Wales Building Regulations do not generally prescribe the use of particular materials or products (such as non-barrier piping), as they are functional regulations. Regulation 7 covers materials and workmanship, and requires that relevant building works must be carried out with proper materials in a workmanlike manner. The accompanying Approved Document guidance provides further advice on ways of demonstrating that products are fit for purpose.

Housing: Insulation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average additional cost of wall insulation for a home with solid walls; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The report: 'Review of Sustainability of Existing Buildings: The Energy Efficiency of Dwellings—Initial Analysis', published by my Department in November 2006, estimated that it would cost £3,150 to provide solid wall insulation in an average home. It was also estimated that the annual cost saving on energy bills would be £380, and that payback would be achieved in 7.5 years. This contrasts with figures of £342 for cavity wall insulation, saving £133 a year and achieving payback in 2.6 years. The 2006 report is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planning andbuilding/doc/320213.doc

Housing: Solar Energy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations she has received from local authorities seeking amendments to planning law to give preferential planning to new build with solar energy installed in the last two years.

Iain Wright: Local authorities and other stakeholders have made representations to the Department on preferential planning for new build with low or zero carbon emissions. Unlike submissions received relating to microgeneration on existing buildings, these representations have not focused on changes to planning legislation. Nor have they concentrated on particular renewable technologies, such as solar energy. Instead, their emphasis has been on ensuring a positive response from local authorities to proposals for low or zero carbon new buildings. In the light of these representations, our new planning policy on climate change underlines that developers with proposals which would secure high levels of resource and energy efficiency and reductions in emissions should expect their planning application to be handled expeditiously and sympathetically.

Housing: Solar Energy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when representatives of her Department last met housebuilders to discuss the promotion of solar energy in new build housing.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government (CLG) officials and Ministers continue to engage regularly with the house building industry, and other important stakeholders, regarding the use of microgeneration technology, including Solar Hot Water and Solar PV (photovoltaic), in new build housing. In 2006 we introduced a regulatory framework that encourages renewable systems without prescription. CLG forums that include representation from homebuilders and discuss the future of various renewable technologies are (with last meeting dates in brackets); the Code Implementation Advisory Group (15 September 2008) Code's Technical Advisory Group (21 July 2008), the Industry Advisory Groups which are working on proposals for revising Part L of the Building Regulations (6 August 2008) and the 2016 Zero Carbon New Homes Taskforce (5 June 2008).

Housing: South East

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of the number of new homes required to be built in the south-east region; and how many of these homes are required to fulfil housing need for those living in the south-east region.

Iain Wright: Figures for housing provision are set out in Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS). Build rates set out in the current RSS are 29,500 per year in the south-east region. The Government are currently consulting on their Proposed Changes to a replacement RSS, which sets out a figure of 33,125 dwellings per year to be built up to 2026.
	The latest 2004 based household projections showed a need for around 35,900 new dwellings in the south-east. The number of additional households to be formed by net migration is estimated at the England level only. These estimates show that 223,000 households will form per year from 2004 to 2026 in England, of which 73,000 (33 per cent.) will be attributable to net migration.
	Work carried out for the South East of England Regional Assembly, which prepared the draft RSS now subject to consultation suggested that around two-thirds of new homes built in the region would be occupied by those already in the south-east.

Housing: South East

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the demand for new homes in  (a) the south-east Region and  (b) other regions from (i) UK nationals already living in the south-east region, (ii) UK nationals living outside the south-east region, (iii) European Union citizens and (iv) citizens of other countries.

Iain Wright: The latest 2004 based household projections showed a need for around 35,900 new dwellings in the south-east. The number of additional households projected to be formed by net migration is estimated at the England level only. These estimates show that 223,000 households are projected to be formed per year from 2004 to 2026 in England, of which 73,000 (33 per cent.) will be attributable to net migration.
	Work by the South East of England Regional Assembly, which prepared the draft RSS, suggested that around two-thirds of new homes built in the region would be occupied by those already in the south-east.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1635-36W on housing: sustainable development, if she will assess whether it would be possible for a home using any tumble dryer currently available on the market to achieve over 90 per cent. of the credits available within the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Iain Wright: Yes, providing that it is rated either A or B, of which there a number available on the market. To achieve code level 6 the house builder must achieve at least 90 per cent. of all the available credits within the code and all the mandatory elements. To achieve the credits within the "Energy Labelled White Goods" (Ene 5) category of the code, either a washer dryer or a tumble dryer that has at least a B rating under the EU Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme must be installed or information on the EU Energy Labelling Scheme is provided to each dwelling. There is also a credit available within the code for providing a space for air drying clothes.

Housing: Young People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure access to supported accommodation for vulnerable young adults who abuse alcohol and other substances.

Iain Wright: As part of our drug strategy, 'Drugs: protecting families and communities' (February 2008), we will be encouraging local authorities to work with partners to meet locally-identified need for housing and support for those affected by drug use, including young people. We will also work to develop more personalised approaches to treatment services, to help us best support those leaving and planning to leave treatment with packages of support to access appropriate housing.
	Through the Housing Corporation's affordable housing programme we are providing capital investment to deliver affordable housing for vulnerable groups including young adults who abuse alcohol and other substances. In 2007-08 the Housing Corporation approved over £30 million for social rented schemes to assist young people at risk and people with alcohol related problems.
	The Supporting People programme funds housing-related support services to vulnerable people, including young people at risk and people with alcohol and/or drug problems. In the financial year 2006-07, £42,506,026 of supporting people funding was spent on services in England for people with drug or alcohol problems.

Land: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects Milton Keynes Unitary Authority to publish its landscape character assessment.

Iain Wright: As a result of the Planning Inspector's recommendations on Policy S11 (Areas of Attractive Landscape) and the adoption of the Milton Keynes Local Plan, the council identified that further work was needed to formulate a workable policy approach for the Core Strategy and other Local Development Plan Documents.
	This has led to the preparation of two documents—the Local Landscape Designations Study (October 2006) and the draft Landscape Character Assessment (March 2007) both prepared by the Landscape Partnership. The draft Landscape Character Assessment covers the rural part of the borough. The next stage is to seek wider views of borough residents in order to assess the extent to which the different landscapes are valued. This work is currently under way and is being taken forward via a randomised postal survey to households and will be incorporated into the final version of the LCA. This is expected to be published in January 2009.

Local Authorities: Investment Returns

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance has been given to local authorities on maximising returns on their investments.

John Healey: Government guidance to local government on investments, which was issued in 2004 following the 2003 Local Government Act, emphasises that priority should be given to the security and liquidity of invested funds. The guidance says that it would be appropriate for local authorities to seek the highest rate of return, but makes clear that this should be consistent with the proper levels of security and liquidity.
	The guidance is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/capital/data/lginvest2.pdf

Local Authorities: Mortgages

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will reduce the national rate for local authority mortgages.

Iain Wright: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The SNR is regularly reviewed in line with building society lending rates as required by the 1985 Act. At present the rate remains at 6.89 per cent.

Local Authorities: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the future use of best value practices by local authorities.

John Healey: Local authorities are under a general duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which their functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. How authorities fulfil this best value duty is largely left to their discretion.
	Under the provisions of Part 7 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 we have streamlined best value and refocused it away from prescribed process and more towards involving local people. Best value now gives authorities more discretion in the way they achieve continuous improvement in their functions better reflecting the needs of local people.
	On 9 July 2008 we issued statutory guidance to best value authorities and their partners on creating strong, safe and prosperous communities. This includes guidance on how best value authorities should continue to meet their best value duty under the new regime. It also covers their duties around Local Area Agreements. The guidance can be found on the Communities website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/local government/strongsafeprosperous

Local Authorities: Surveillance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will be able to use directed surveillance under the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to monitor tensions between different communities.

Sadiq Khan: Local authorities are permitted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') to access some types of communications data (including billing and subscriber data), to use directed surveillance (essentially covert surveillance in public places) and deploy covert human intelligence sources (such as undercover officials or informants) for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or disorder.
	RIPA requires that authorisation of any of these covert investigatory techniques must be necessary and proportionate to what the local authority seeks to achieve. DCLG is not aware of any local authorities using the powers available under RIPA to conduct their tension monitoring. RIPA also provides for independent oversight to ensure that local authority authorisations of these techniques meet RIPA requirements. It is a matter for the local authority and the Office of Surveillance Commissioners, the oversight body for directed surveillance, having regard to the circumstances of a particular case as to whether individual authorisations fulfil those requirements.
	Tension monitoring is not a mandatory requirement for local authorities. Local authorities and their partners will wish to take legal advice to ensure that their local tension monitoring arrangements are lawful.

Local Authorities: Waste Management

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether there will be a presumption or expectation that local authorities in a two-tier area should join a joint waste authority.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Under powers in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, local authorities that wish to work together to discharge their waste functions can submit a proposal to the Secretary of State requesting the establishment of a statutory Joint Waste Authority (JWA). There will be no element of compulsion: it is for authorities to determine whether JWA status is appropriate for their area and whether they wish to pursue this voluntary option for partnership working.

Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much local government business growth initiative funding has been given to Bassetlaw Council over the last four years.

John Healey: Bassetlaw district council has received a total of £1,502,509.88 in LABGI funding in the last four years, made up as follows:
	
		
			  Year funding received  Amount of funding (£) 
			 2005-06 443,074.88 
			 2006-07 614,504 
			 2007-08 444,931 
			 Total 1,502,509.88

Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requests her Department has received from Bassetlaw Council for new local government business growth initiative funding.

John Healey: None.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been given to local authorities and public corporations in relation to investing or depositing in overseas or foreign-owned banks.

John Healey: CLG's guidance on local government investments issued under section 15 of the Local Government Act 2003 is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/capital/data/lginvest2.pdf

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of how the financial situation in Iceland's banks has affected the investments of UK local authorities.

John Healey: The Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I met the Local Government Association (LGA) on 9 October to discuss local authorities' investments in Icelandic banks. At that meeting it was agreed that, once the LGA has completed its urgent analysis of the effects of the situation on individual local authorities, we will look at issues arising on a case by case basis.
	The joint statement issued by the Government and the LGA following the meeting is on the CLG website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to respond to the letter to her dated 22 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss C. Doran.

Sadiq Khan: A response has now been sent to my right hon. Friend.

National Fraud Initiative

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the use the National Fraud Initiative has made of information from joint bank accounts on the financial affairs of spouses.

Sadiq Khan: The NFI is a data matching exercise carried out by the Audit Commission to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. Data matching involves comparing sets of data, such as the payroll or benefits records of a body, against other records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. A number of different data set types are collected for the NFI, including payroll data. The limited type of payroll data collected includes the bank account number and sort code details of the employee. Transactions relating to the bank account cannot be accessed or disclosed within NFI. NFI data matching is based on a combination of the data subject's surname, forename, date of birth, national insurance number or address depending on the data available for the match and/or the desired outcome from the data match. NFI does not collect the name in which the bank account is held, so has no way of linking the employee details back to a partner/spouse.
	The intelligence that bank account details provides ensures that investigators prioritise their resources on cases where employment income has potentially been withheld (e.g. in an undeclared bank account) when benefits are claimed. For example, matches between payroll and housing benefit claimants can reveal whether the bank accounts declared to the employer or the housing benefit paying body are the same or different.
	The effectiveness of such matches in identifying potential fraud would be reduced if joint accounts were excluded from the exercise as employees could use a joint account to escape detection.

Planning: Environment Protection

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effect of planning policy guidance on the preservation of back-garden land and maintenance of bio-diversity in urban and suburban neighbourhoods.

Iain Wright: It is for local planning authorities, in consultation with communities, to decide the priorities for housing development in their area within an overall national target that 60 per cent. of development should be on previously developed land.
	If local authorities wish to preserve existing residential areas from over-development then they are able, under PPS3, to develop policies that set out the circumstances in which applications will and will not be considered.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what area of land situated on the western border of the M1 in the Milton Keynes unitary authority area is currently subject to  (a) outline and  (b) detailed planning permission; and what percentage this represents of all land in that area.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not held by central Government, as detailed monitoring of planning permissions is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
	Information on extant planning permissions for housing and employment development across the whole authority area will be available from the council's local development framework annual monitoring report. Milton Keynes council should be able to supply more detailed information if required.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies are the planning authorities for the land  (a) on the eastern boundary of the M1 and  (b) on the western boundary of the M1 in the Milton Keynes unitary authority area.

Sadiq Khan: Milton Keynes borough council is the planning authority for land to the east of the Ml within the Milton Keynes unitary authority area. It is also planning authority for areas west of the Ml motorway within the unitary authority area, except for areas where the Milton Keynes Partnership exercises planning controls, as set out in the Milton Keynes (Urban Area and Planning Functions) Order of 2004.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) cost of additional bridges required to cross the M1 to facilitate the proposed development in the latest edition of the South East Plan east of the M1 in Milton Keynes.

Sadiq Khan: The Government's proposed changes to the draft South East Plan are currently out for consultation, and views are being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October.
	The South East Plan will provide a broad development strategy for the region for a 20-year period. Once completed, this overarching strategy will be taken forward by more local and detailed planning strategies, implementation plans and development schemes, each of which will make an assessment of the level of infrastructure needed to support new development. For this reason it is not possible to state the number or cost of any new bridges required to support potential development east of the Ml at Milton Keynes.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects of development east of the M1 proposed in the most recent revisions of the South East Plan on traffic congestion on key routes into Milton Keynes, with particular reference to junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

Sadiq Khan: The draft South East Plan is intended to provide a broad development strategy for the region for a 20-year period, and as such it is not possible to forecast the precise impacts of new development at this strategic scale. More detailed matters including the planning and delivery of infrastructure requirements will be addressed through local development frameworks produced by local authorities in partnership with the development industry. Any new proposals would be expected to meet Government policy requirements to support public transport and assist modal shift from car-based transport.
	Government are currently inviting views on their proposed changes to the draft South East Plan and would welcome any comments submitted by the closing date of 24 October.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the latest proposed revision of the South East Plan has preferred development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes Unitary authority area over development to the south-east and south-west of the city.

Sadiq Khan: The document setting out the Government's proposed changes to the draft South East Plan contains a schedule of reasons for the changes, including a section on development east of the Ml motorway at Milton Keynes. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can be viewed in the House of Commons Library or obtained from the Government Office for the South East.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Milton Keynes Partnerships on the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes contained in the most recent version of the South East Plan.

Sadiq Khan: The South East Plan remains in draft form, and consultation on proposed changes to the plan is currently under way. Any representations to the draft consultation will need to be made through the formal consultation process, where they will be taken into account when Government finalise the plan. The closing date for comments to be made is 24 October. No representations have yet been received from Milton Keynes Partnership.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken of views of local residents in the decision to approve the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes as part of the proposed revision of the South East Plan.

Sadiq Khan: Development east of the M1 motorway at Milton Keynes is included in the Government's proposed changes to the draft South East Plan. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are now being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can obtained from the Government Office for the South-East (GOSE) or accessed through the GOSE website
	www.gose.gov.uk.

Planning: Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has commissioned on the extent to which people feel they are able to influence planning decisions  (a) locally and  (b) nationally since 2007.

Iain Wright: The Department has not commissioned any research on this specific topic since 2007.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by her Department and its predecessors has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 8 October,  Official Report, columns 663-64W.

Rates and Rating: Ports

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with other Departments on the issuing of backdated bills by the Valuation Office Agency in respect of the change from prescriptive rating of docks and harbours to rating by conventional methods.

John Healey: Departments are in contact all the time, in the interests of gathering information about the impacts of Government policies, including between officials from Communities and Local Government, Treasury and Department for Transport on this matter.

Rates and Rating: Ports

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation was held before the decision to change from prescriptive rating of docks and harbours to rating by conventional methods; and when that consultation took place.

John Healey: Consultation about removal of the power of the Secretary of State to prescribe rateable values was undertaken in "Modernising Local Government Finance: A Green Paper" published by DETR in September 2000 available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/greenpap/index.htm
	in "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Service" a White Paper published by ODPM (CM 5237 December 2001); and through the Consultation Paper published by OPDM in June 2002 alongside the Draft Local Government Bill and scrutinised by the House of Commons Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee (the report (Fifteenth Report of Session 2001/02—HC 981-1) and proceedings of the Committee are available at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtlgr/981/98102.htm#evidence)

Rented Housing: Private Sector

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the outcome of the Review of Private Rented Sector Housing announced by the former Housing and Planning Minister on 23 January 2008 will be published.

Iain Wright: The Review of the Private Rented Sector, carried out by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the Centre for Housing Policy at the university of York, will be published on 23 October 2008.

Supporting People Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budget was given to each local authority for the Supporting People programme in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement on local government finance by the Minister for Local Government on 5 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 627-30, for the two-year Supporting People settlement covering 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations, and to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing on 4 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 47-48WS, confirming Supporting People final grant allocations for 2008-09. Tables showing the Supporting People allocations were placed in the House of Commons Library following each of these statements, and in these my hon. Friend will find the Supporting People budget given to each local authority in each of the last three years.

Terrorism

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the implementation of point 11 of the then Prime Minister's 12-point counter-terrorism plan issued in August 2005.

Sadiq Khan: On progress against the 12-point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the update provided by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1594W.
	On the consultation referred to in point 11 in the 12- point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the statement laid by the then Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Charles Clarke) on 15 December 2005. The Department for Communities and Local Government is supporting Muslim communities to build the resilience of mosques and Muslim faith leaders to violent extremism. I refer the hon. Member to a document published by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 18 July 2008: 'Preventing Violent Extremism: Next Steps for Communities'. I have placed a copy of the document in the Library of the House.

Thames Gateway: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is available to the Thames Gateway over the next three years; and what direct democratic controls are in place to monitor the use of that funding.

Iain Wright: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Departmental allocations to the Thames Gateway Programme as at 6 October 2008 
			  £ million 
			   Financial year  
			  Type of funding  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			 Near cash 17 19 19 57 
			 Non cash 3 4 5 12 
			 Capital 155 155 155 465 
			 Total 175 178 179 532 
		
	
	The Minister for Housing and Planning (Margaret Beckett) has responsibility for monitoring the use of Thames Gateway funding and is answerable to Parliament. Further to this, local authorities monitor the use of funding through their local regeneration and economic development plans.
	The Thames Gateway Executive publishes an annual report describing capital expenditure in the Thames Gateway. This is available to the general public on Communities and Local Government's website, as well as to Members of this House in the House Library.

Urban Areas: Research

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 345W, on the INTERREG programme: finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the final report or conclusions of the POLYNET project.

John Healey: The Department has investigated the scope to place a copy of the book "The Polycentric Metropolis", which contains the conclusions of the POLYNET project, in the Library. However, I am informed that the book is not a Government publication. It was written and edited by Peter Hall and Kathy Pain and was published by Earthscan Publications Ltd. in July 2006. Electronic copies of the book are unavailable. Hard copies of the book, priced £99, may be ordered online from them at:
	http://www.earthscan.co.uk

Waste Management

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what national guidance she issues on consultation of local residents on the construction of new waste management facilities.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government reformed the planning system in 2005 with the publication of a new planning policy statement 10. It is too early for the benefits of this reform to have been fully felt, but actions to support local authorities remain a high priority for DEFRA and CLG. For example, in August 2007, DEFRA's Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme published guidance on improving the interaction of local authorities with waste planning. It underlines that the approach to community engagement, taken by those seeking to secure permissions for waste infrastructure projects, is critical to all stages of both the planning process and preparation of the municipal waste management strategies by local authorities. Furthermore, DEFRA requires local authorities, as part of the application process for PFI credits for residual waste treatment facilities, to set out their strategy relating to community engagement.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CDC

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of the reports containing the assessment of development impact produced by CDC for the consideration of the Best Practice and Development Committee;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of the reports received by CDC from its fund managers under the CDC/Actis umbrella agreement on procedures to deliver policies.

Douglas Alexander: The evaluation reports that the management of CDC produces for CDC's Business Principles and Development Committee and the reports it receives from its fund managers are produced for CDC's own internal use. The reports are prepared on the understanding that information provided by CDC's counterparties will not be disclosed, and contain information that is commercially sensitive. It would therefore not be appropriate to place these in the House of Commons Library.

China

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated to cover expenses associated with employees, offices and funded projects in China in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The costs of staff and facilities management are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2005-06 2,838,340 
			 2006-07 2,517,508 
			 2007-08 2,342,892

Departmental Aviation

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 10 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1831-32W, on departmental aviation, if he will place in the Library a list of the starting point and destination of each flight.

Douglas Alexander: A list containing the information requested will be placed in the Library.

Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the principles of good practice in humanitarian aid are to which donors commit in the good humanitarian donorship process.

Michael Foster: In June 2003, 17 donor Governments met in Stockholm, and endorsed 23 principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship. These principles state that their humanitarian work will be;
	Guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence;
	Promote adherence to international humanitarian, refugee and human rights law;
	Ensure flexible, timely and predictable funding
	Allocate funding in proportion to needs;
	Involve beneficiaries in the design and evaluation of humanitarian response;
	Strengthen local capacity to prevent, prepare for and mitigate crises;
	Support the UN, the Red Cross and NGOs; and affirm the primacy of civilian organisations in humanitarian action;
	Support learning and accountability initiatives, and encourage regular evaluation;
	The 23 principles of good humanitarian donorship are listed in full on the Good Humanitarian Donorship website:
	http://www.goodhumanitariandonorship.org/

Iraq: Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the education system in Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: Since 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any direct financial assistance to develop the education sector in Iraq. We have, however, contributed £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which encompasses two trust funds administered by the United Nations and World Bank. 25 donors have committed over $1.8 billion to IRFFI since 2003. This money has been used to provide assistance in a range of sectors and development projects across Iraq. In the education sector, the UN has now allocated from IRFFI $190 million and the World Bank $106 million on 29 projects which include the rehabilitation of schools, the provision of essential text books, and the training of Iraqi teachers.

Iraq: Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent support the Government have given to the development of employment opportunities in Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: We believe that the best way to develop employment opportunities in Iraq is to support the Iraqis to stimulate economic growth through the private sector. To achieve this, the UK is supporting two institutions—the Basra Development Commission (BDC) and Basra Investment Commission (BIC). The Department for International Development (DFID) is also looking at ways to improve the availability of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises.
	Co-chaired by Michael Wareing, the CEO of KPMG International, the BDC is bringing international and regional private sector expertise to Southern Iraq, and working on a range of economic projects. Most recently, the BDC launched a youth employment scheme (YES) which aims to provide an initial 500 vocational training placements for unemployed youths to work with local businesses, after which the businesses will offer them permanent employment. This scheme is modelled on best practice adopted by Business in the Community in the UK.
	The BDC is also working with the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC) to facilitate visits to Iraq for the investors interested in commercial opportunities—11 such visits have now taken place. These investors are looking at taking forward projects with a potential value in excess of $4 billion and employing 1,200 to 1,500 people in the first year alone.

Katacha: Overseas Aid

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's contribution to provision of food, medicine, education and army disengagement in the Katacha homeland is.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development's (DFID) contributions in 2008 through the Common Humanitarian Fund for humanitarian and early recovery activities in Southern Kordofan are:
	
		
			   $ 
			 Education and culture 660,000 
			 Health and nutrition 1,076,000 
			 Security and livelihoods 1,191,000 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate these figures for the Katcha homeland. DFID also contributes to the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which in 2007 provided at least US$9 million for South Kordofan.
	The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has promoted and supported the integration of informal militia into the armed forces of the Northern and Southern Governments, as well as the redeployment of these forces. The UK Government have worked closely with UNMIS on this, including in Southern Kordofan, and provide financial support indirectly through their assessed contributions to the UN in New York.

Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the £264 million in centrally-issued contracts in 2007-08 was distributed amongst aid agencies.

Michael Foster: Details of all centrally issued contracts since January 2005 are available on the Department for International Development's website;
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/procurement/contractslet.asp.
	This includes the project/programme title, name of supplier, the related sector and contract award value. Low value contracts issued by our overseas offices are not recorded centrally and it would incur disproportionate cost to collate this information.

Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the international development spending by the devolved Administrations is included in his Department's calculation of the UK's total official development assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK's reporting of official development assistance (ODA) has included data on the Scottish Government's aid programme since 2005. No data are reported for the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive.

Overseas Aid

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the financial position was of each recipient country's allocated budget, with regard to  (a) allocation,  (b) draw down and  (c) expenditure, in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 106W. Further information is available in the Department for International Development's (DFID) Annual Report which is available online:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Pubs/files/departmental-report/2008/default.asp

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 792W, on Pakistan: overseas aid, if he will place in the Library a copy of the last annual review of his Department's funding to North West Frontier Province.

Douglas Alexander: We are unable to provide a single annual review of our funding activities in North West Frontier Province, as our annual reviews are undertaken on an individual programme and project basis rather than by province.
	To date our support to North West Frontier Province has been provided mainly through federal level programmes (for example in health). Our portfolio with the provincial government is relatively new and only one programme, the Rural Water and Sanitation Programme, has so far been subject to an annual review. A copy of this review will be placed in the Library.

Palestinians: Humanitarian Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) amount and  (b) proportion of the Government's contribution to the additional humanitarian funding for the Palestinian Authority pledged by the European Union at the United Nations on Monday 22 September is.

Douglas Alexander: The European Commission (EG) pledged an additional €82 million in financial support to the Palestinian Authority's budget, including €1 million in earmarked funding from Austria. It will be used to help pay for salaries and pensions, social allowances to vulnerable Palestinian families and fuel for the power plant to provide electricity to the people of Gaza.
	The UK's overall share of the EC budget for 2008 is 15.8 per cent., which implies that the UK share of the €81 million pledge is €12.8 million (£10.1 million). The UK has directly provided a further £50.45 million in bilateral financial support to the Palestinian Authority's budget in 2008.

South America: Research

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what companies are contracted to carry out the £50 million project for research and capacity building in Latin America and Asia; and how they were chosen.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) in partnership with the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have just completed scoping studies to identify priority themes and geographic locations for the proposed climate change adaptation in Asia and Latin America research programme. The Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET) carried out the Asia work. The Foundation for the Future of Latin America (Fundacion Futuro Lationoamerica - FFLA) carried out the Latin America work. Both organisations were contracted by IDRC. We are currently considering the results of these studies.
	DFID will be able to comment on plans for implementation when the detailed programme design is completed.

South Asia: Childbirth

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1042W, on South Asia: childbirth, what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's funding for India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal on the proportion of births attended by a skilled attendant in those countries; what the child mortality rate has been in each country in each year since 1998-99; and what initiatives his Department has utilised to reduce child mortality and increase the provision of skilled attendants at birth in those countries.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides funding in South Asia to the governments of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh to strengthen health services. This includes initiatives to increase the provision of skilled attendants at birth, and to reduce infant and child mortality. For details of DFID funded programmes you may refer to my answer of 18 June 2008  Official Report, column 1042W.
	Currently close to half of women in India and a third of women in Pakistan are being assisted by a skilled birth attendant at delivery. There has been substantial progress since the early 1990s, when only one third of women in India and one fifth of women in Pakistan were assisted by a skilled birth attendant. Bangladesh and Nepal have also recorded improvements in skilled birth attendance rates over the past five years. In 2006 one fifth of women in these countries was delivered by a skilled birth attendant.
	DFID has been assessing progress in skilled birth attendants and reductions in infant and child mortality in partnership with country Governments, UN and other development organizations. DFID support for assessment includes the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and district health and facility surveys in India; in Pakistan, the Federal Bureau of Statistics, and in Bangladesh, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR.B); in Nepal, maternal mortality and morbidity studies and vital registration systems. Progress on skilled birth attendance and child mortality rates for South Asia countries are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Country  Skilled birth attendant rates (%)  Under-five mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births) 
			
			 India   
			 1998-99 43 95 
			 2005-06 47 74 
			
			 Bangladesh   
			 1999-2000 12 94 
			 2006 20 65 
			
			 Pakistan   
			 1990-91 19 117 
			 2006-07 39(1) 94 
			
			 Nepal   
			 2001 11 91 
			 2006 19 61 
			 (1) The 18 June 2008 response to PQ 211728 referred to a figure of 54 per cent. of births in Pakistan attended by a skilled attendant. This is for first order births only. The figure for all births is 39 per cent.  Source:  Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal; National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India; Government of Bangladesh.

UN Convention on Watercourses

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has for the UK's accession to the UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigable Uses of International Watercourses; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Mitchell) on 17 March 2007,  Official Report, column 828W.

Youth Parliaments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which overseas youth parliaments his Department has funded in the last five years; and how much his Department has provided for each.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided the following support to youth parliaments and related programmes:
	DFID is providing £800,000 to the Commonwealth Youth Programme (2008-09), managed by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The programme supports the organisation of national youth councils in Commonwealth member states, and regional caucuses of young people, through which they can debate the issues of the day with Ministers responsible for youth.
	Over the past two years, DFID funding has also supported a five-day Children's Parliament in Namibia, as part of a Southern Africa regional programme of support to the UNICEF "Children and AIDS Regional Initiative". The programme has also established forums through which children engage with and learn about legislative processes in South Africa, and national and district level governance. These activities form part of the wider £18 million regional programme.

TREASURY

Bank Notes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which banks are authorised to issue their own bank notes; and in what circumstances such authority would be revoked.

Ian Pearson: The Bank of England is authorised to issue notes throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, Bank of Scotland plc, the Royal Bank of Scotland plc and Clydesdale Bank plc are authorised to issue in Scotland; and the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank Ltd., First Trust Bank (a trading name of AIB Group (UK) plc) and Northern Bank Ltd. are authorised to issue in Northern Ireland.
	If any of these commercial banks should become bankrupt, cease to carry on the business of a banker, or discontinue the issue of bank notes, it may not issue notes thereafter.

Child Benefit: Telephone Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of callers to the Child Benefit Helpline whose call was logged with the promise of a call back received a call back in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available.

Child Benefit: Telephone Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the length of time is of the automated message on the Child Benefit Helpline; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HMRC uses several different automated messages on the Child Benefit Helpline. These include messages played when the customer is first connected, at particularly busy times and when the customer is held in a queue. The length of message varies from 10 seconds to 27 seconds.

Child Benefit: Telephone Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost per minute is of calls made to the Child Benefit Helpline; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the former Financial Secretary (Jane Kennedy) gave the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 51W.

Child Trust Fund

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and with which institutions he has invested child trust fund contributions that have been unclaimed by families.

Ian Pearson: Eligibility to the child trust fund is not subject to a claim. Where parents do not use the Government voucher to open an account themselves HMRC opens an account for the child instead. Up to 30 June 2007 the total number of child trust fund accounts opened by HM Revenue and Customs under these default arrangements was 858,000. These accounts are allocated on a strictly rotational basis to those 16 providers who have volunteered to take these accounts. A current list of these providers is obtainable at the following address:
	http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk/templates/Page_1320.aspx

Child Trust Fund

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with low incomes have not claimed the child trust fund payment since 2005.

Ian Pearson: No families have failed to claim the child trust fund payment since 2005 as no claim is necessary. All UK resident children in a child benefit award, who are born on or after 1 September 2002 and who are not subject to immigration control, will have a child trust fund account.

Council Tax: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dwellings in Wales have had their council tax banding amended upwards since the initial 2005 council tax revaluation process, according to records held by the Valuation Office Agency, expressed in terms of the  (a) original and  (b) revised banding.

Stephen Timms: Statistics, showing all cases where the listing officer has made a change since 1 April 2005 as a result of an inquiry or an appeal, can be found on the Valuation Office Agency website at
	www.voa.gov.uk.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which parliamentary constituencies his predecessor visited between 6 May 2005 and 6 May 2006; on what dates each such visit took place; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers regularly visit all parts of the country on Government business.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which parliamentary constituencies his predecessor visited between 6 May 2006 and 27 June 2007; on what dates each such visit was made; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers regularly visit all parts of the country on Government business.

Departmental Official Visits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many times his predecessor visited  (a) Cardiff,  (b) Edinburgh,  (c) Swansea,  (d) Glasgow,  (e) Aberdeen and  (f) Dundee between 2 May 1997 and 8 June 1999; on what dates he made such visits; and what the purpose was of each visit;
	(2)  how many times his predecessor visited  (a) Cardiff,  (b) Edinburgh,  (c) Swansea,  (d) Glasgow,  (e) Aberdeen and  (f) Dundee between 8 June 1998 and 8 June 1999; on what dates he made such visits; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers regularly visit all parts of the country on Government business.

Economic Situation: Bank Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the international banking turbulence on  (a) public sector pay policy,  (b) fuel prices,  (c) utility bills and  (d) food prices in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The Government will provide an updated assessment of developments and prospects for the UK and world economy, including prices, in the pre-Budget report, based on all relevant factors, as normal. The objectives of the Government's pay policy remain: to recruit and retain high quality work forces; affordability and value for money for the tax payer; and consistency with achievement of the inflation target.

Economic Situation: Bank Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of the number of UK employees who may be made redundant due to the recent uncertainty in the international banking sector, broken down by region.

Ian Pearson: Consistent with the practices of previous Governments, the Treasury does not publish labour market forecasts.

Economic Situation: Economic Growth

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect which would result from 1 per cent. lower growth in the economy in a year on the published annual deficit.

Angela Eagle: The latest public finance projections were published in Budget 2008. A full assessment of the impact of changes in the economic outlook on the public finances will be provided in the normal way in the forthcoming 2008 pre-Budget report.

Equitable Life: Compensation

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to provide a compensation package for Equitable Life investors.

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many Equitable Life policyholders are estimated to be affected by the regulatory failure set out in the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report Equitable Life: A Decade of Regulatory Failure;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards the implementation of a compensation scheme for those Equitable Life policyholders who the Parliamentary Ombudsman identified as having undergone a loss as a consequence of regulatory failure;
	(3)  what estimate has been made of the cost to the Government of compensating former Equitable Life policyholders under the recommendations set out by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in her report Equitable Life: A Decade of Regulatory Failure.

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take following publication of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report on the regulatory supervision of Equitable Life; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: As my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, told this House on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 287, the Government will report on Equitable Life shortly.

Expenditure: Asylum

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of expenditure from the public purse on asylum seekers in each of the last 11 years  (a) in cash terms and  (b) adjusted for inflation.

Angela Eagle: An estimate of total public expenditure on asylum seekers can be produced only at a disproportionate cost.

Expenditure: Sport

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the progress achieved by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in achieving the target set by his Department to raise £20 million per year in private sector support for elite sport; what plans he has to guarantee the funding; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: DCMS continue to make progress towards raising private sector support for elite sport. Fast Track Sales were appointed as the Department's official adviser in July this year. Fast Track are working with DCMS and UK Sport on the detail of the 'Medal Hopes' funding scheme which it is hoped will attract sponsorship from national, regional and local businesses to help realise the potential of those athletes on UK Sport's World Class Performance Programme.

Finance: Department for Culture Media and Sport

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets for asset sales have been set for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in each of the next three years.

Yvette Cooper: The 2007 comprehensive spending review required all Departments to publish an asset management strategy. DCMS' asset management strategy will set out an asset disposal plan and indicate expected asset disposals over the CSR.

Finance: Devolution

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish his Department's factual paper on the operation of the Barnett formula.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 21 July,  Official Report, column 729W.

Finance: Devolution

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will consider the report, Unequal Shares: The Definitive Guide to the Barnett Formula, published by the Taxpayers' Alliance.

Yvette Cooper: The devolved funding arrangements were updated in the Statement of Funding Policy published by the Treasury in October 2007.

Financial Services Authority

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the operational independence of the Financial Services Authority.

Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. This statutory independence means that the Government do not have any control over the day-to-day running of the organisation. However, the FSA is still accountable to Parliament, Government, the public and industry in a number of ways including the requirement for the FSA to publish an annual report on the discharge of its functions and the extent to which its regulatory objectives have been met.

Fireworks: Imports

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date a prosecution was last made against an importing company for giving false information to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the licensed destination site for imported fireworks.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs prosecutions are undertaken by the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO). RCPO has advised that it has no record of any prosecution made under section 11 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 against an importing company for giving false information to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the licensed destination site for imported fireworks.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals pay more income tax following the abolition of the 10 pence band as modified by the changes announced on 13 May; and if he will break down the data according to those earning  (a) under £10,000,  (b) between £10,000 and £15,000,  (c) between £15,000 and £20,000 and  (d) above £20,000 a year.

Stephen Timms: The Government's memorandum to the Treasury Committee inquiry "Budget Measures and Low-Income Households" explained that information relating to the Budget 2007 reforms can be provided only on a household basis.
	A breakdown of the remaining households that are still paying more net tax than they were prior to the Budget 2007 reforms, following the changes announced on 13 May, can be found in the answer to Q15 of Annex A of the Government memorandum.

Income Tax: Tax Yields

Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the income received from income tax revenues came from  (a) the top 1 per cent. of earners,  (b) the top 5 per cent. of earners,  (c) the top 10 per cent. of earners,  (d) the top 25 per cent. of earners,  (e) the lowest 50 per cent. of earners,  (f) the lowest 25 per cent. of earners and  (g) the lowest 10 per cent. of earners in (i) 1975, (ii) 1980, (iii) 1985, (iv) 1990, (v) 1997, (vi) 2000 and (vii) each year since 2000.

Stephen Timms: Information on the shares of income tax paid by different percentiles of taxpayers for the period 1999-2000 to 2008-09 is set out in Table 2.4 "Shares of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups" on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm
	The share of income tax for percentile groups of taxpayers, premised on total income before tax, for tax years 1990-91 and 1997-98, is set out in the following table. The data are based on the "Survey of Personal Incomes".
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   1990-91  1997-98 
			  Lowest   
			 10 per cent. 0.7 0.8 
			 25 per cent. 4.0 3.3 
			 50 per cent. 15.8 13.0 
			
			  Highest   
			 25 per cent. 62.2 67.4 
			 10 per cent. 40.8 47.5 
			 5 per cent. 30.1 37.2 
			 1 per cent. 14.2 19.5 
		
	
	The information covering parts (i) to (iii) of the right hon. Member's question is not available.

Insurance: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for insurance companies of the cost of repairs to houses affected by the recent floods.

Ian Pearson: Her Majesty's Treasury maintains a close dialogue with the insurance industry that includes the implications to the industry of the costs of flooding.

Landfill Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely financial effects of changes in the landfill tax escalator on local authorities over the next two years.

Angela Eagle: The costs of landfill tax, including the increase in the landfill tax escalator, were taken into account when agreeing the local government settlement.

Local Income Tax: Scotland

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the implementation of the powers of the Scottish Parliament to alter existing arrangements for local taxes; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Treasury Ministers discuss a range of issues from time to time with the Scottish Executive.

Marginal Tax Rates

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people with marginal tax deduction rates of  (a) between 50 to 60 per cent.,  (b) between 60 to 70 per cent.,  (c) between 70 to 80 per cent.,  (d) between 80 to 90 per cent. and  (e) between 90 to 100 per cent. and  (f) over 100 per cent. in each year since 1997 for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the number of families with marginal deduction rates above 60 per cent. have been published in Budget reports since 1999 (table 4.2 in Budget 2008 shows the latest estimates). Comparable estimates over time for those with marginal deduction rates below 60 per cent. are not available.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs received the letter dated 24 September 2008 from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on his constituent, reference chm/08593/2008; and when he expects the matter to be resolved.

Stephen Timms: The acting Chief Executive Officer of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received a letter dated 16 September 2008 from the right hon. Gentleman on 22 September 2008. He will be writing to him this week to explain the circumstances surrounding his constituent's tax credits claim. HMRC will also be sending his constituent the tax credits payments that are due.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer the letter dated 26th August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr Raja Afzal, transferred to his Department from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Stephen Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Members: Meetings

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet the hon. Member for Nottingham North to discuss early intervention.

Angela Eagle: Ministers are always happy to meet to discuss issues, when this is appropriate.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 880W, on departmental NDPBs, how many times his Department has been asked to approve  (a) capital projects of £6 million and above,  (b) gifts and non-statutory contingent liabilities of £100,000 and above,  (c) spending which exceeded limits set out in the relevant financial memoranda and  (d) spending which could have set a potentially expensive precedent, caused repercussions for others or which was novel or contentious by bodies which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport sponsors in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The Treasury keeps proposals for spending above delegated limits, and spending which would be novel and contentious, under review as part of an on-going discussion among officials. Detail of all discussions is not held centrally and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Chris Mullin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his predecessor's response to the letter of 4 May 2007 from John Nichols on behalf of the Urban Redevelopment Chief Executives' Group regarding the impact of the proposed abolition of the empty property relief on business rates; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: I have placed a copy of the contents of my official's reply to John Nichols' letter of 4 May 2007 in the Library.

Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to review recent changes to  (a) business rates and  (b) empty properties relief in view of the current economic situation and its effect on small businesses.

Angela Eagle: The reforms to empty property relief only come into effect in April 2008. The Government keep all taxes and reliefs under review.

Non-Domestic Rates: Tax Yields

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of likely changes to levels of revenues to be received from property business rates over the next three years; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for such changes.

Stephen Timms: Estimated and projected revenues for business rates for Great Britain, for 2007-08 and 2008-09, are published in table C6 of the Budget 2008 report. Receipts for 2007-08, estimates for 2008-09 and projections for 2009-10 will be published in the 2008 pre-Budget report.

Northern Rock

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the forecast is of total  (a) losses and  (b) cash requirements of Northern Rock for (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Ian Pearson: Northern Rock published a summary of the business plan on 31 March 2008. As stated on 5 August 2008 Northern Rock intends to revise this business plan.
	During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its board at arm's length from the Government on commercial principles. It is a matter for the company's management to release specific business information and updates or provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.

Oil: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many litres of oil were recovered from sites producing illegal fuel oils in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. Figures for all Northern Ireland fuel seizures are published in HMRC Autumn Performance Reports, available on the HMRC website at
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm.

Pensions

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unfunded pension liabilities in the public sector is.

Yvette Cooper: The information is available on page 38 of the Long Term Public Finance Report published on 12 March 2008.

PFI: Contracts

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual costs of PFI/PPP contracts across the public sector were in the latest period for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The full list of all signed PFI projects can be found on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_ private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	For each PFI project, this list details the project name, the capital value, the annual cost, the constituency and the procuring authority.

Revenue and Customs

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was to HM Revenue and Customs of compliance and enforcement in each year since 2003-04.

Stephen Timms: There was a major restructuring of directorates following the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise on 18 April 2005. Cost figures for the directorates involved in enforcement and compliance activities in the new structure are available from 2006-07.
	For 2006-07 the total pay bill costs for the main directorates involved in enforcement and compliance activity was £835 million.
	For 2007-08, the total pay bill costs for the main directorates involved in enforcement and compliance activity was £833 million.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable has been set for the Adjudicator's Office by his Department for the completion of investigations into complaints about HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: There is no set timescale for the completion of investigations by the Adjudicator's Office into complaints about HM Revenue and Customs.

Revenue and Customs: Legal Costs

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs to date arising from the actions pursued by HM Revenue and Customs against Mr. Philip J. Wright of Rowhedge Road, Colchester, in respect of Regulation 49 of the Income Tax (Employee) Regulations 1993 and section 8 of the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions etc) Act 1999 for tax relating to the years ending 1999-2000 to 2003-04; and what estimate he has made of the number of staff hours spent on this case.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs has a statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality. This precludes the disclosure of information about a taxpayer's affairs publicly or to third parties.

Revenue and Customs: Personal Records

Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many instances of the loss of personal documents were recorded by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Information on the loss of personal documents was not recorded centrally by HMRC and its predecessor Departments throughout this period. Improved central recording of data security incidents, consistent with the recommendations of the Poynter Review, has more recently been put in place.
	A summary of the incidents formally reported to the Information Commissioner's office in 2007-08 can be found in HMRC's 2007-08 Accounts at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc_dep_acct0708.pdf

Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what redundancy costs have  (a) already been incurred and  (b) are budgeted for by HM Revenue and Customs in each year from 2002-03 to 2010-11.

Stephen Timms: HMRC have incurred no redundancy costs to date for staff in the grades below the senior civil service. Post savings in excess of 18,000 have been achieved since 2004 without redundancies.
	No specific funding has currently been allocated in the 2008-09, 2009-10 or 2010-11 budgets for redundancy costs, although the possibility of redundancies in this period cannot be ruled out.

Save as You Earn

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to raise the limit for the maximum monthly investment into a Save as You Earn Sharesave plan to £400 to take account of inflation since 1991.

Ian Pearson: The Government keep all savings incentives under review. The average monthly amount saved by employees under SAYE is considerably less than the current £250 limit.

Tax Rates and Bands

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many UK taxpayers would pay tax at 50 per cent. if a 50 per cent. rate were introduced for taxpayers with annual pay of  (a) £100,000,  (b) £150,000 and  (c) £200,000.

Stephen Timms: The estimated numbers of UK taxpayers in 2008-09 with incomes in excess of the thresholds requested are in the table.
	
		
			  Threshold  Number of taxpayers with income above the threshold 
			 £100,000 650,000 
			 £150,000 310,000 
			 £200,000 180,000

Tax Rates and Bands

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional revenue would be raised if a 50 per cent. tax rate were introduced for UK taxpayers receiving annual pay of  (a) £100,000,  (b) £150,000 and  (c) £200,000.

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimated additional revenue would be raised in 2009-10 by increasing the higher rate tax band to 50 per cent. for those with incomes in excess of £100,000 per annum from April 2009.

Stephen Timms: Table 2a of the Generic Tax Tables 2008-09: "Additional full-year yield from the introduction of additional higher rates of tax on GROSS incomes (Earnings and Savings) over a specific amount" contains comprehensive information on income tax and is available in the Library of the House. The table excludes any estimates of behavioural response which could be significant and might eliminate a large proportion of the yield from any new higher rate band.

Taxation: Aviation

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he has taken of varying regional impacts of the proposed aviation duty in the formulation of the policy; and if he will publish his Department's modelling of the likely effects of the duty on each region before a decision on implementation is taken.

Doug Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what account he has taken of the potential impact of the proposed aviation duty in each region;
	(2)  what modelling has taken place of the impact of the proposed aviation duty in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: A formal consultation on the proposed aviation duty was published on 31 January and closed on 24 April 2008.
	The details of the tax have not yet been set. The Chancellor of the Exchequer plans to make an announcement in the autumn.

Taxation: Football

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many professional and semi-professional football clubs have entered administration with debts outstanding to HM Revenue and Customs in the last three years.

Stephen Timms: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Financial Secretary on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 582-3W.

Taxation: Investment Income

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that people who have investment income taxed automatically at 20 per cent. but who are not on PAYE and are not issued with a tax return annually, are made aware that a repayment of tax may be due to them.

Stephen Timms: HMRC encourages savers to claim back any overpaid tax, using their website, the DirectGov website and a leaflet (IR111) available to all banks and building societies to do so. The HMRC website includes sections on 'Claiming back tax' and 'Guidance on the 10 per cent. starting rate for savings income'.
	HMRC will also be running a tax on interest campaign, targeted at pensioners, to encourage those that are non-taxpayers to register their accounts so that they receive their interest without tax deducted and to encourage those who have paid too much tax on their interest to claim it back.

USA Treasury Securities

Angela Browning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in UK holdings of USA Treasury securities there was in each month from April 2005 to August 2008.

Ian Pearson: The UK Government's US dollar denominated assets are held in the UK's official foreign currency reserves. The Bank of England also holds foreign currency reserves of its own. Information on the exact composition of these assets is market sensitive. More information on how the UK official reserves are managed, including which assets the reserves can be invested in, can be found on the Treasury's websites.

USA Treasury Securities

Angela Browning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what communications have taken place since January 2008 between his Department and  (a) the Governor of the Bank of England and  (b) the Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority on the monthly changes from January 2008 to July 2008 of UK holdings of USA Treasury securities.

Ian Pearson: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Governor of the Bank of England and the chief executive of the Financial Services Authority meet on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of economic and financial issues.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will produce a privacy impact assessment for the Valuation Office Agency's Geographical Information System project.

Stephen Timms: The need for a privacy impact assessment will be considered as part of the due process within the Geographical Information Project.

VAT: Energy

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2308W on VAT: energy, if he will estimate the additional revenue that will be raised from VAT on domestic energy as a result of increases in fuel prices in 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT relating to individual goods and services.
	There are practical difficulties in estimating the revenue impact of price changes in specific sectors, as to obtain a true estimate the effects across the wider economy must also be considered. Consumers will change their behaviour and expenditure patterns as specific prices rise.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals against a tax credit decision taken by his Department there have been in each  (a) year and  (b) month since tax credits were established; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: For information up to and including February 2008 I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) and the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 11 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 371-72W.
	Information for March 2008 to September 2008 is:
	
		
			  Month 2008  Number of appeals against tax credits decisions 
			 March 850 
			 April 1,130 
			 May 772 
			 June 866 
			 July 1,128 
			 August 1,093 
			 September 1,116

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many TC846 forms his Department has received disputing a tax credit overpayment in each  (a) year and  (b) month since tax credits were established; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: For information up to and including 2007-08, I refer the hon. Member to the answers my predecessor gave the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 17 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 901-902W, and 20 May 2008,  Official Report, column 212W.
	The corresponding Information for 2008-09 is:
	
		
			   Households 
			  Month 2008  Number of newly disputed overpayments 
			 April 10,500 
			 May 5,800 
			 June 8,500 
			 July 17,800 
			 August 12,100 
			 September 19,500

Working Tax Credit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on the childcare element of tax credits paid to families in England and Wales who have children under five years of age and who work fewer than 24 hours per week in each year since the element was introduced; and what estimate he has made of equivalent costs in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: The total increase in annualised entitlement due to the child care element is provided in Table 2.4 of the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised annual awards" for each relevant year. These are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	This information is available only at a disproportionate cost by country, age of children, and hours worked per week.
	HMRC do not produce forecasts for the individual elements of child and working tax credits.

Working Tax Credit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in England and Wales who have children under five years of age and who work fewer than 24 hours a week have claimed the childcare element of tax credits; and what estimate he has made of the number of families in this group in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the average number of families in England and Wales benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit are reported in Table 1B of HMRC's publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses' for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Estimates of the total number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit at selected dates, by age group of children, and hours worked per week, are reported in Table 4.4 of HMRC's publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics'. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	HMRC do not produce estimates of the number of families who will benefit from the child care element in the future.

Working Tax Credits

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children aged between one and five years in  (a) Carshalton and Wallington constituency,  (b) Greater London and  (c) England have been awarded the childcare element of the working tax credit since the element was introduced.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	However, estimates of the total number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, by age group of children, including those under five years, at selected dates are published in Table 4.4 of the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics". These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	Estimates of the average number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, by country, region, local authority and constituency, are available in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses", for each relevant year. These are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Working Tax Credits

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many working hours were spent administering the issue of annual review forms to tax credit recipients in 2007-08;
	(2)  what the cost of  (a) sending and (b) processing the return of annual tax credit review forms was in 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep separate information pertaining to the working hours spent administering the issuance of annual review forms.
	In 2007-08 HMRC sent out around 9 million annual renewal packs. For the cost of sending annual renewal packs I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1954W to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke). The cost of processing annual tax credits renewals in 2007-08 was around £10.45 million.